The Not-So-Secret Life Of a Nutty Scrapper

Just a Layout

2010-02-07T22:31:00.001-06:00

Here is a layout it did today as I was passing the time waiting for the game to start. Hope you like it.

Colts News: COLTS WIN: 30-17

2010-01-24T18:57:00.001-06:00

Colts News: COLTS WIN: 30-17

Posted using ShareThis

We're Goin' To The Super Bowl!!!

2010-01-24T18:53:00.004-06:00

WOW! What a day! It was touch and go; the first half almost gave me a heart attack. But the boys pulled it off! Congratulations to the Indianapolis Colts! They are going to the Super Bowl! Woooo Hoooo!!!

Yes....Football is Our Life

2010-01-17T22:21:00.009-06:00

Football, football, football. Around here it's all about the game and the fan gear. We have Viking fans, Colts fans and Cowboy fans all under one roof. Now I am not talking about part-time fans here. I am talking about die-hard, gung-ho-all-the-way, dedicated when they lose and dedicated when they win fans. Yelling and screaming, throwing things at the TV, never miss a game, live our life around the game fans. And while yes, I am a fan of the Colts myself, I gotta tell ya, I get a little tired toward the end of the season.

Take this weekend for instance. If you didn't already know this week-end is a big NFL playoff weekend. All three of our teams advanced to the playoff; the Vikings, the Cowboys and the Colts. The Vikings played the Cowboys today and unfortunately for the 'Boys, they lost. That left two die hard fans in the dumps; Trent and Austin.

The Viks and the Colts will advance to the next round and may advance to the Super Bowl. But next week, it is possible that one or both will drop out. God I pray it isn't so. Or worse, they will both advance and play each other in the Super Bowl. I can't bear to think about what that might be like. I won't go there for now.

All weekend long we've donned the colors, analyzed the stats, speculated on strategies and trashed talked the opponent, over and over and over. It's been Super Bowl this and Super Bowl that; Offensive this and Defensive that. It's been up the field and in the Red Zone; in the End Zone and on the sidelines; down the middle and off-sides; touchdown this and field goal that. On and on and on. And I gotta tell you I am SICK TO DEATH of it. I am so ready for the season to be over. I am so ready to talk about something else. Our life has got to get back to normal I tell ya.

While I love and I mean love Peyton Manning and the Colts I understand that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose. But I absolutely cringe at the thought of them possibly losing, because Wyatt will about die. I mean there will be screaming, crying and genuine, heartfelt tears if they lose and I don't know if I can take it. Last year was tough when the Colts got knocked out early. This year, if they don't make it to the Super Bowl, I am going to have to take some Valium or something just so I don't have to hear the agony of defeat.

Mick, well if the Viks lose next week, he will surely be in a bad mood for a while. He will be grouchy and irritable and throwing stuff around and then will go through a couple weeks of serious withdrawals and mild depression after the season is over, not knowing what to do with himself. And then he will be okay. But he is a grown man. Is it supposed to be this way? It's really pretty funny when you think about it, but pretty pathetic on the other hand too. I mean c'mon. It's just football after all. right? Really? Really! It is just a game. Isn't it? NOT!!!! Around here, from August to January FOOTBALL IS OUR LIFE.

Birthday Wishes!

2009-12-11T21:16:00.001-06:00

Well another year has come and gone. It's funny, I don't feel 48 years old. Well except for when I throw my legs over the side of the bed at 5AM, to rise and shine. LOL Inside I still think and feel just like I did when I was in High School and then I pass by a mirror and holy cow, I see my Mother! Yikes! All kidding aside, I can't complain. I have a wonderful life. I am truly blessed with a wonderful family, awesome children, a loving husband and just about everything my heart desires. Some days are rough, but hey who doesn't have rough days. They can't all be perfect right! All in all, I love my life and I wouldn't change it for anything.

Many thanks to all of you for the warm and wonderful Birthday Wishes. They really made my day!

Hugs and more Hugs!
Heidi

TOOT TOOT! Published Again!!

2009-12-01T08:56:00.002-06:00

Check it out! My Space Ship layout has been featured on the GCD Studios Blog!!! (scroll way down in the post) Too exciting!! I just love seeing my name up in lights!

I love GCD Papers. They are so fresh and inspiring and their papers feel amazing! Yep, you gotta touch them. They feel like linen. Head on over to the GCD Blog and check out their 25 Days of Christmas Celebration. For the next 25 days they will be featuring an awesome line up of layouts and ideas, sure to inspire you!

Happy Scrappin' Y'all
Heidi

Musical Genes..who would have thunk it!

2009-11-30T18:44:00.009-06:00

Never in a million years did I think that there might be a musical gene in our gene pool, but man were we ever wrong.

Austin got it from some where? But who? I guess it doesn't matter really, but let me tell you this kid has got it going on! He not only has a love for music, but he is also pretty darn good at too. He has been playing Saxophone since the 6th grade and has been working very hard to improve his skills and remain consistent. That is pretty hard to do for a teenager, considering all the other distractions going on inside his head. But he has managed to not only keep up but to also excel. We are very proud of him for having done so.

He chose to continued his music in High School, and I think he has actually figured out that he has a gift and is willing to work very hard to develop it. Something clicked this year. Not sure what......Hmmm maybe it was all that Marching Band practice on those hot summer days beginning in August that unleashed something in his brain! LOL.

But anyway, for starters, he made first chair saxophone in Clear Springs High School Band. Quite an accomplishment for a freshman; having beat out other incoming freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors in the process.

Then, recently he tried out for Regional Band and while he didn't make the cut (they only take the top 3) he did get 9th chair. That sure was a confidence builder for him, knowing that of all the Freshman saxophone players in the region, he was in the top 10.

And finally, of all the freshmen that tried out for Region Band at Clear Springs, only he and one another student placed high enough to be recognized. I think that is amazing. All his hard work paid off! Of course, we have to thank his private lesson teacher, Mr. Newton for all his hard work bringing Austin to this level of play. Thank you Curtis for your inspiration and encouragement! You Rock!!

In addition to the sax, Austin also plays guitar. He started out with a cheap starter electric guitar and it wasn't long before we realized that his playing was for real. His teacher Eric Tatum is an awesome classical and flamenco guitarist and he has inspired Austin to challenge himself with some classical techniques. Well, two more guitars later and he is budding into quite the guitarist. I am amazed at how easily and fluidly he plays and how quickly he learns each new technique.

He started out loving the rock and roll but has since turned his heart toward the classic sound of a Spanish guitar. I am told that it is not easy to pick the strings with your fingers, but Austin picked up this technique after one lesson and he hasn't looked back yet. He just gets better and better everyday. I definitely can see him headlining at our favorite Mexican Food Restaurant in the near future! LOL

You know, as a parent we look into the future of our children and pray that they will make all the right choices; choices that will honor God and lead to a life of happiness and contentment. I want that for Austin! But I do know that God has put this musical gift in his heart and I know that he is preparing him for great things. I don't know if he will ultimately make a living playing his music, but I am certain of this....Music will always be a part of his life. It is in his spirit and woven into the fabric of his soul.

My prayer for Austin is that one day, his music will make a difference in the lives of many and that maybe someday it will change the world.

Way to go Austin! Keep up the hard work and dedication. Mom and Dad love you so very much!!!

A Day With The Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans!

2009-11-29T17:52:00.003-06:00

The boys got to go to the Texas vs. Colts game today at Reliant Stadium. They had a blast. When the got there the first got to hang out and tailgate with our friends ( and the boys Private Sax Lesson instructor) Curtis & Debbie Newton . Curtis has an awesome tricked out Texan's Truck that he takes to the games. They had an opportunity to interact with some Texan's fans and this made their game day experience so memorable! Thanks Curtis & Debbie!!!

Wyatt couldn't wait to get into the stadium to check out the seats and let me tell you they had great seats. They were on row L in the end zone and this gave them an up close and personal view of the Colts as they warmed up. Here are some of the pics of the our favorite QB Peyton Manning warming up and a few shots of the game.

I watched the game from home and it was a very exciting game! I can only imagine what they were experiencing. The boys said it was so loud in the stadium and they were on the edge of their seats. Of course the Colts pulled out the win in the end thank goodness! I don't know if I would have been able to live with Wyatt had they not.

What a wonderful blessing it was for the boys to be able to go to the game, tail gate with friends and celebrate the win of their favorite team!!! Go Colts!!

Junkie Design Team Layouts

2009-11-22T00:21:00.003-06:00

Well I finally got around to taking pictures of the last Junkie Design Team assignments. I had forgotten to do so before turning them in and just hadn't been to the shop with my camera to get a photo of them until today. So here they are:

The first layout features the new Papers by We R Memory Keepers Geo-Hectic collection. It was perfect for this layout featuring Mickey on the job. I loved the cardstock stickers that went with this line of papers and I added some "screw head"and shiny flat brassy brads to finish off the geo-techy look.

In the second layout I got to use some wonderful vintage style papers from Graphic 45 Christmas Past collection. Add to that some gold mirror cardstock, bling, velvet ribbon and a new gold Prima Poinsettia flower and this layout glistened like a holiday tree. I love how it turned out.

As this holiday week approaches I hope to have more time to scrap. The kids are off from school so that means no homework and free time in the evenings. Now if I could just stay off Farmtown I could get some scrappin' done!

Till next time.

Heidi

It's Turkey Time Again!!!!

2009-11-19T16:03:00.002-06:00

As we approach the THANKSGIVING HOLIDAYS I thought you might enjoy this turkey recipe!

Ingredients:

1 whole turkey

1 large lemon, cut into halves

salt and pepper to taste

butter or olive oil, whichever you prefer

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Rub butter or oil over the skin of the turkey until it is completely coated.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and any other seasonings you prefer.

Take a knife and gently separate the skin from the breast meat;

Slide lemon halves under the skin with the peel side up, one on each side. This way the juice from the lemon will release into the breasts.

Cover and bake for 30-45 minutes. Remove cover and continue to roast until juices run clear, basting every 15-20 minutes. If you've followed these steps correctly, your turkey should look like the one in the picture. (TOO FUNNY!!)

Football Season's Over, while bittersweet it means More Scrappy Time!

2009-11-11T08:35:00.004-06:00

That's Wyatt in the white jersey; #61.

Well football season for Wyatt is over. Yesterday was his last game of the season. Unfortunately their team, the Victory Lakes Panther 7th Grade B Team, struggled this season. But they still did manage to pull out 3 wins. Wyatt plays Center and he had a great year. As usual he was consistent and played with all his heart. There were so many kids on the team this year that sadly many of the boys didn't get much playing time. Wyatt, however, did. He played first string offense in every game and even got to play some first string defense (something he has always wanted to do). Overall, he did very well.

He says he isn't sure that wants to play next year, but he says that every year. He will play again; I know he will. Football is woven through every fiber of this kids being. It's stamped in his DNA. HE LOVES THE GAME. Just ask him. Wyatt can tell you who played in every single Superbowl in history, where it was played, who the teams were, what the score was, who the quarterback was, and who the MVP was. He knows more obscure Football trivia than the NFL commissioner himself (I would lay money on that) and he can give you a play by play of every Superbowl played to date. He has an amazing memory and knows this game.

Wyatt's favorite team is the Indianapolis Colts (I wholeheartedly agree) and he is a die hard fan. Wyatt bleeds Colts Blue and White. Seriously folks, it borders on an obsession.

But anyway, he is an amazing kid and I want to take this opportunity tell you just how proud I am of him. Wyatt you are an amazing young man and I congratulate you on a great season. I know you will be back next year. You may not know it now, but I do. You CAN'T NOT PLAY.

While the end of this season is bittersweet, I will miss watching him play, it does mean I will have more scrappy time! Yay!!! Instead of having to sit for an hour and half at the field in the evening, waiting for practice to end, I can now get home at an earlier hour, we can eat dinner at an earlier time and I will have more free time to scrap. Of course, if I get all my harvesting and plowing done in Farmtown and Farmville that is. (I am totally addicted to those stupid games.) My goal for the rest of the year is to try and get an hour of scrapping in every evening. I have many gift project that I need start and finish for the holidays and I am really feeling some creative juices bubble up. My BFF Theresa and I got to scrap this past Sunday and we had a great time. It left me wanting to do more.

I know I haven't posted many scrapping pics lately because of our busy schedule, but I wll be posting this past month's design team projects soon. They turned out really great. But I deleted the pics accidentally and have already turned in my projects. It may be few more days before the pics go up. Maybe this weekend I will go by the shop with the camera and take some pics to post.

My oldest son, Austin, who plays in the Clear Springs High School Charger Band will be finishing up the marching season soon too, (I will blog more about that soon.) and that will free up Friday and Saturday evenings for scrapping too. I can't wait. The holidays are rapidly approaching and we are entering into my most creative season of the year. I am looking forward to blogging more and sharing many of my projects.

Till Next time....
Go Colts!!!
Go Victory Lakes Panthers!

Go Clear Springs Chargers!

Hugs,
Heidi

Walking on Prima Sunshine

2009-10-26T10:58:00.002-05:00

Check out these wonderful picks from Prima. It's a ray of sunshine!!! Love all this stuff.

Today's Picks Include:
Tropics Paper-840976
New Alpha Letter Stickers in Orange and Yellow-531096, 531102
Trellis Roses in Orange and Yellow-533144, 533151
Jewel Box Butterflies-532376
Say It In Pearl Centers-530679
Sultan Centers in Autumn Gold-535094
Gypsy Petals in Burnt Orange and Goldenrod-531621
Donna Downey Wildflower Iron-On-920234
Country Elegance Hydrangeas in Orange-533465
Parlor Petals in Sunflower Yellow-534423
Crystal/Pearl swirl in Burgundy-530471
Gossamer Wings in Dark Orange-533953
Medicci Flowers in Orange-532949

Happy Birthday Austin!

2009-10-11T22:37:00.004-05:00

Tonight we celebrated Austin's 15th Birthday! Tomorrow is actually his birthday, but since tomorrow will be a late day with a band performance, we decided to celebrate today. Fifteen years! Whew. Where did the time go?

I think my son is pretty amazing and here are some of the reasons why:

He is funny. I mean "really" funny. Like Robin Williams Funny!!!
He is energetic.
He is talented! He plays a mean sax and an incredible guitar.
He is animated. Totally into character; changing from one minute to the next.
He can leap tall building in a single bound.
He is handsome.
He is inquisitive.
He is sensitive.
He is honest.
He is loving.
He is loyal.
He is good.
He is kind.
He is trustworthy.
He is quick on his feet.
He thinks fast and has great one liners.
He is very intelligent.
He love God with all his heart.
He is good to his brother.
He is good to his friends.
He wants to please everyone.
He is adventurous.
He is imaginative.
He is a dreamer.
He wants to go to Julliard in New York City and I think he will.
Oh and did I tell you how funny he is. He makes me laugh every day!

He is my pride and joy and I love him so very very much.

Happy Birthday Austin! You make Mom and Dad VERY PROUD!

Till Next Time,
Heidi

Have you Hugged Your Girls Lately?

2009-10-07T14:43:00.003-05:00

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Have you hugged your "girls" lately?

Breast Cancer. Those two little words have had a huge impact on my life. In November of 2007 I had a routine mammogram and an abnormality was detected in my right breast; atypical ductal hyperplasia is what they called it; effectively one stage removed from cancer. In February of 2008 I had surgery to remove that abnormality. I thank God everyday that it wasn't cancer...yet. But, had I not had the routine screening and had I just skipped my exam, it is very likely that with the passing of time I would be telling a different story today.

Not long after my surgery, my best friend Theresa (who is in her mid 20's) discovered a lump in her breast and unfortunately, hers was cancer. I will never forget the day when she told me the news. My heart skipped a beat as I held my breath and we both cried. Her journey after that fateful day has been long and arduous, but I am happy to report that today she is a Survivor and is Cancer Free! She is an amazing woman and supporting her on the road through her cancer treatment has taught me so much and has affected me in so many ways:

I have learned about true strength and determination.
I have learned about true love, support and encouragement.
I have learned to put things into perspective and to not sweat the small stuff (even if I still do sometimes, I have grown.)
I have learned about unwavering faith and about the blessings that come wrapped in a cancer wrapper.
I have learned what is important and what is not.
I have learned, by watching her, about true grace and beauty that comes from within.
I have learned that there are still many very good people in the world; complete strangers even, that are willing to lend a hand of support and encouragement.
I have learned that in this life you should make every single day count.
I have learned about true friendship and what it means.
I have learned NOT TO SKIP YOUR ANNUAL WELL WOMAN'S EXAM.

My brush with Breast Cancer changed my life; but Theresa's Breast Cancer changed me even more. I love my friend and I thank God everyday for her friendship, but more importantly I thank God that she is cancer free.

In honor of Theresa's journey will you PLEASE examine your own breasts TODAY and remind your friends to do the same. Schedule that mammogram that you have been putting off. Make the call. If you won't do it for yourself, or for me, or for Theresa and millions of women just like her, maybe these statistics will convince you:

Death rates from breast cancer have been declining since about 1990, with larger decreases in women younger than 50. These decreases are believed to be the result of earlier detection through screening and increased awareness, as well as improved treatment.

Besides skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women,

The chance of developing invasive breast cancer at some time in a woman's life is a little less than 1 in 8 (12%).

About 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women in 2009.

About 62,280 new cases of carcinoma in situ (CIS) will be diagnosed (CIS is non-invasive and is the earliest form of breast cancer) in 2009.

About 40,170 women will die from breast cancer in 2009.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, exceeded only by lung cancer.

The chance that breast cancer will be responsible for a woman's death is about 1 in 35 (about 3%).

At this time there are over 2.5 million breast cancer survivors in the United States. (This includes women still being treated and those who have completed treatment.)

American Cancer Society, http://www.cancer.org/docroot/cri/content/cri_2_4_1x_what_are_the_key_statistics_for_breast_cancer_5.asp

Susan G. Komen for the Cure® recommends that you :

1. Know your risk
Talk to your family to learn about your family health history
Talk to your health care provider about your personal risk of breast cancer

2. Get screened
Ask your health care provider which screening tests are right for you if you are at higher risk
Have a mammogram every year starting at age 40 if you are at average risk
Have a clinical breast exam at least every 3 years starting at 20, and every year starting at 40

3. Know what is normal for you and see your health care provider right away if you notice any of these breast changes:
Lump, hard knot or thickening
Swelling, warmth, redness or darkening
Change in the size or shape of the breast
Dimpling or puckering of the skin
Itchy, scaly sore or rash on the nipple
Pulling in of your nipple or other parts of the breast
Nipple discharge that starts suddenly
New pain in one spot that doesn't go away

4. Make healthy lifestyle choices
Maintain a healthy weight
Add exercise into your routine
Limit alcohol intake

Thanks for supporting Breast Cancer Awareness month.
Hugs,
Heidi

New Camping Layout

2009-10-04T22:32:00.004-05:00

Have you seen the new Camped Out line of papers by Bella Blvd? How about SEI Playday/Tickles? These papers coordinated so well for this Camping layout. I love how they complemented each other. Not sure who makes the chipboard trees and the little wooden leaves (which came raw but I painted with Making Memories Acrylic paints), but they added a nice touch. I had a great time adding texture to them by wrapping the trunks with rope. This complemented the flocking on the SEI paper very well. The stickers are from the new Boy Scout Line from K and Company. Yep, they have a brand new Scouting line that just came out. I picked up the slab over at the Scrapbook Junkie. Don't you just love it when a layout comes together nicely!

Oops! Now wait a minute...how did this picture get in here. This handsome young man is my nephew Trent. He is very intelligent, has a great sense of humor, is one of my prides and joys and YES ladies...he is single!! (Not that I am trying to play match maker or anything LOL!)

Till next time.

Heidi

September Junkie Project

2009-09-27T18:29:00.005-05:00

I finished up my Junkie Project for the month of September.

It was so much fun. This month the design team got to pick out what we wanted to work with. My choice was a new line of papers designed by Stephanie Hunt for Bella Blvd called Plastino. I loved the colors and flowers and wanted to do something whimsical. Our challenge was to make a Wall Layout on a piece of sheet metal using a photo of ourselves and a wooden letter magnet. This project will be displayed in the Junkie Store Window. We got to do a canvas a while back and this project is to replace the canvas that is already on display.

I had never worked on sheet metal so it was going to be fun!

We also got to choose a coordinating bling and flower from the new Prima lines! I was in Prima Heaven. Seriously, have you seen all the new Prima Flowers? They are to die for! Of course I went Prima crazy and couldn't stop with what was given to me and added more of my own. I love the new Prima vines they are awesome. The paper twisting on the flower stems is something I saw Donna Downey do on one of her art pieces on her website and I had to try it. She is so inspiring.

I also wanted to share with you a project that I did a while back for the Junkie that I hadn't posted. I had forgotten to take photos of it to post and finally did so this weekend.

This project was completely inspired by Donna Downey! I took her class a few months ago when she taught at The Scrapbook Junkie and I had a blast. She is one talented lady. I learned so much in her class and had such a wonderful time. So when Beth asked me to put together a mini album using some Canvas sheets she had gotten in and some stencils I jumped on the chance. I took the opportunity to use all the creative techniques Donna taught us. I used modeling paste, gesso, gel medium, water color, acrylic paints and even pulled out my embossing powders and heat tool. If you ever have an opportunity to take a class by Donna Downey you absolutely must! You will learn a ton and have a blast.

So here is the project. I hope you like it! The papers are by Basic Grey and the flowers are from Prima.

Things have been very busy around my house so I haven't had much time to keep up with the blog, but I haven't stopped blogging. Thanks for hanging in there with me!

Hugs,

Heidi

Check out these Prima Product Picks!!!

2009-08-21T11:26:00.002-05:00

Check out these wonderful new products from Prima. Aren't the delicious!!!

Fleur Danseur: These vintage flowers are absolutely stunning with the gem centers!

Pebbles: Patterned pebbles are perfect for a flower center or as an embellishment on your project.

Say It In Pearls Butterfly Swirl: These are totally feminine and precious! These swirls can be applied to almost ANY medium!

Holiday Lights Pearl Vine: Lovely vines filled with peach-colored pearl beads.

Gypsy Petals: Layers of yummy fabric with lightly singed edges and a gorgeous center.

Fleur Danseur:Sweet flowers made with fancy fabrics and complete centers.

Baroque Blooms: like large flowers? These are perfect for a fab focal point or an altered project!

Say It In Pearls: These centers will add class and elegance to any project!

Romani Flowers: These gorgeous flowers include a combination of beautiful fabric and pearls!

Trellis Roses: Sweet roses that look freshly picked!

Felt Stems: Just add flowers for a fabulous look!

Junkie August Design Team Layouts!!

2009-08-17T21:45:00.005-05:00

Despite a sick birthday boy this weekend, I still managed to complete my Junkie Design Team Layouts. This month I got to use some awesome new papers from GCD Vintage Boy Collection and BoBunny's Delilah Collection.

Take a look at the rich colors of Fall mixed with pretty pastel pink; all my favorite colors. Not to mention the beautiful die cut papers. I just love this line. The letters in the title feature some Heidi Swapp Acrylic letter. I love these things. I just adhered pattern paper to the back of the clear acrylic letters, inked with chalk ink and voila! I added a little felt trim around the die cut paper for accent. Flowers, always a must on all my layouts, top off the page. This is one of my favorite layouts!

The GCD Papers are wonderful too. If you haven't picked up any of the GCD Papers yet then you are really missing something. Their textures are unlike any on the market today. The Vintage Boy Collection not only has the feel of linen, but it is also embossed. I loved the little rockets so much and I really wanted to make a statement with them so I fashioned my own paper piecing pattern and made my own super-sized rocket embellishment. I love how it turned out. If you want to make one like it, let me know and I will send you a drawing that you can cut out and use as a pattern to make one for yourself. For the title, again I used Heidi Swapp Acrylic letters dressed up with pattern paper plus some Making Memories Passport chipboard alphas. I added a few Jolee planet stickers to add to the space theme and I think it topped the layout off nicely.

I was happy to complete these layouts because next week school starts and I am going to be pretty busy. I do have one more project to complete so stay tuned; I will be posting it soon.

Until Later,
Heidi

Happy Birthday Wyatt!!!

2009-08-14T08:07:00.003-05:00

It was about this time 12 years ago today that I gave birth to my sweet baby boy Wyatt. Weighing in at 9 pounds 15 ounces and 22 inches long, (whew he was a whopper) I knew immediately that he was a special boy! Since that day the time has flown by so fast. He says he is not a baby anymore, but of course, Momma knows better; he will always be MY baby.
I think my son is pretty amazing and here are some of the reasons why:

He is strong.
He is healthy.
He is EXTREMELY determined.
He loves loves loves the Indianapolis Colts.
He loves loves loves football.
He knows the game of football, forward and backward, backward and forward.
He has an amazing memory.

He can tell you what teams played what Superbowl, where, what year and what the final score was AND who the MVP was that year. Really...try testing him....he will amaze you!

He knows tons of obscure football trivia.
He plays amazing guitar.
He plays amazing saxophone.
He is kind.
He is thoughtful.
He is polite.
He is sensitive.
He is loving.
He is loyal.
He is extremely intelligent.
He is extremely organized.
He is hard working.
He loves to collect Indianapolis Colts Memorabilia.
He loves God with all his heart.
He loves his brother, although some days I wonder.
He knows and respects the power of Prayer.

I could fill volumes telling you about why he is so special. But suffice it to say he is one amazing kid!

Happy 12th Birthday Wyatt.

Your Dad and I love you very much and are very proud of you!

CHECK OUT THE GCD BLOG!!!

2009-08-11T10:42:00.002-05:00

Hey check out the GCD blog when you get a chance, you never know who you might run into!!!

I love their papers and am looking forward to getting my hands on the Morning Glory and Sunny Days collections! They are beautiful!!!

This week they are going to be featuring layouts made with their wonderful Provence line of papers so check it out when you get a chance.

TGIF...where did the time go?

2009-08-07T14:14:00.006-05:00

I am so glad that today is Friday. The week whirred by at the speed of light. It seems that time is going by so quickly these days. Perhaps a sign of age...nah! I am too young for that right!

I went by The Scrapbook Junkie today on my lunch hour and they had just put out the new BoBunny lines of paper. They are awesome. If you are in the neighborhood, you gotta see them. Kelli was also working on a huge shipment of GCD Designs, I can't wait to get some of those too.

This weekend, I am going to take my son shopping for school clothes. I can't beleive that he is going to start High School in just a couple weeks. He is already hard at work with Marching Band practice. We have been up at the crack of dawn every morning and they have been on the field to practice starting at 7:30AM. He has done great so far and is enjoying it..all except the getting up early, but he has been a real trooper. Of course there was the one day that I overslept and he made it on the field with only 2 minutes to spare. Whew! I need to take my camera and snap a few shots before school starts.

Football will be starting in a couple weeks for my youngest and he is completely stoked. Not to mention he will be celebrating his 12th Birthday next week. Before you know it the Indianapolis Colts will the nonstop topic of discussion around the house and Christmas will be knocking on our doors. Did I say Christmas? Eeek!

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year and I so ready for the heat to be over with. Of course the heat around here doesn't really subside unit November. Uhg. Fellow Houstonians will agree I am sure.

Well I better finish up a few things before the weekend starts.

Talk to you all again soon.

July Junkie Design Team Projects

2009-07-30T23:00:00.002-05:00

Well I finally finished my Junkie Design Team Layouts. I had a great time doing them. Especially the Christmas in July! While it is much to early for me to be thinking about Christmas I just loved the new papers by Reminisce. They are glittery and sparkling which is exactly what Christmas should be like! I also got to play with some of the new Basic Grey Doilies. You have got to see these to believe them. They are intricately cut and unlike any die cut papers I have yet to see. I just love them. The Lemonade papers are bright and summery. If you look closely at the Faith layout you will see that I also used some of the Flair Designs Fantastic Plastics. They are so much fun. They are clear acetate with adhesive on the back, you just peel and stick. I wanted to add some extra pizazz so I dipped the sticky side in ultra fine glitter and I just loved how they took on a new life. I can't wait to get some more of these and play. The possibilities are endless!

In addition to the layouts we all got to play with some of the 7Gypsies Artist Trading Cards. Here is a sampling of the ones that I did. This is my first attempt at these mini layouts and they were tons of fun. They are perfect for using up your scraps and left over embellishments. Once completed they will go on an adorable spinner that would make a perfect gift. I can't wait to see what the rest of the Design Team did with their cards! I loved these little beauties. Stop by the store and see the completed spinner.

I know that I have been missing in action here lately and I will try to pick up the pace. But work has kept me pretty busy and I am trying to get ready for the upcoming school year. Marching Band has already started for Austin. This is his first year of High School and he is excited and apprehensive at the same time. I cannot believe how quickly the time has gone and how fast the boys have grown up. I am starting to feel old! LOL

Well I am off to bed. Mick went to bed without me because I was determined to get this post up. I am looking forward to a much needed day off tomorrow and the Junkie Social tomorrow evening. I hope I will see you there.

Hugs for now.

Heidi

Donna Downey Is In The House!!!

2009-07-12T21:03:00.003-05:00

This weekend I had the privilege of taking one of Donna Downey's INCREDIBLE workshops at The Scrapbook Junkie. It was the Fabric Scrapbooking Workshop and I gotta tell you it was AWESOME!!! The class ran from 10AM to about 3:30PM and it filled with lots of cool art techniques. We got to play with delicious things like, acrylic paints, modeling paste, water color, wire, gel medium and the list goes on and on. I have never taken a workshop filled with as much wonderful techniques as this. I learned a ton and was so inspired. I just love the way Donna incorporates scrapping into traditional artist mediums. Just what I needed at this time in my artistic journey.

On top of being incredibly talented, Donna was also incredibly genuine, sweet and personable. She is an excellent teacher and demonstrates the techniques in a hands-on way. Without skipping a beat, she made everyone feel comfortable and totally capable of each and every challenge. If you ever have an opportunity to take one of her workshops I highly recommend it. This was one I will NEVER FORGET. Thanks Donna for and INCREDIBLE class and Thanks Beth for bringing her to the Junkie! I will be posting pictures of my finished canvas album soon so stay tuned!

Fresh Paint!

2009-07-05T20:19:00.005-05:00

I worked all weekend on a new oil painting. Friday I had the day off and my BFF Theresa and I got together and painted. I had already started this painting and was anxious to make more progress. Theresa and I had a relaxing time painting together. We have to do this more often. We usually scrapbook together, but since she oil paints too we decided to change it up a little. Am I ever glad that we did! We painted most of the afternoon and after she left I continued to work until late Friday night.

Despite the poor lighting as I lost the natural light, I continued to work until bed time. When I woke up on Saturday morning I just couldn't help myself. I had to get out the brushes and paint again. Hey, I was on a roll, what can I say. I painted until around noon when I had to run some errands. When I got back home I cooked dinner and didn't get back at it until after dinner. By this time the light was poor and I didn't make too much progress. I mostly worked on fine tuning some of the details of the face. I just couldn't leave it alone!

Today, however I worked on my painting all day and I am so happy that I finished. This painting is a tribute to my late sister, Marlene. She died at the young age of 45 from late stage cervical cancer and I miss her very much. I really wanted this piece to reflect her beauty and my love for her. I am pleased with the results.

I hope that you enjoy my art work and welcome any comments or criticism, as this is only my second oil painting. I am still learning how to properly mix and apply color and this was quite a challenge. But it is done! Yeah!!!

George Washington & The Declaration of Independence

2009-07-01T21:20:00.008-05:00

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

Declaration of Independence Adopted by Congress on July 4, 1776

As we set out to celebrate the Fourth of July this coming weekend I thought I would share with you a photo of my first oil painting. All three images are that of George Washington, but at different times in his life. At the Library of Congress website I found this writeup about Washington and his role in the Declaration of Independence and wanted to share it with you.

"Independence and the Presidency

You might have thought that George Washington was in Philadelphia with Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and the other delegates of the Continental Congress as they wrote the Declaration of Independence, but he wasn't. In July 1776, Washington was in New York with his troops. On July 9, he received his copy of the Declaration with a note from John Hancock telling Washington to share the news with the troops. Can you imagine how the troops
reacted?

The soldiers were so excited and filled with patriotism after they heard the Declaration that they rushed over to the Bowling Green and tore down the statue of King George III. Shortly after this the British, as Washington expected, attacked the colonists and the American Revolution was under way. The colonists fought eight long, hard years (1775-1783) for their Independence from Britain.

After the war was over, Washington hoped he would be able to retire and return to Mount Vernon. Instead, in 1789, the electors unanimously voted George Washington the first president of the United States. Because it was such an honor, and he felt a great duty to his country, he accepted. He left Mount Vernon on April 16 and arrived in New York City on April 30 for his inauguration. As he took his oath standing on the balcony of Federal Hall, a crowd broke into cheers. The members of his first Cabinet included Thomas Jefferson as secretary of state, Alexander Hamilton as secretary of the treasury, Henry Knox as secretary of war, and Edmund Randolph as attorney general. "

We are so fortunate to live in this wonderful country and I pray that you will take the time to give thanks to God for our Freedom.

Something Dark This Way Cometh!!!

2009-06-29T21:55:00.006-05:00

Check out these clouds that were looming above us about an hour ago. I have always had a fascination with clouds and when I saw these I ran upstairs and grabbed my camera. Aren't they awesome? The weird thing is that it was eerily calm outside. You would think that there would be wind swirling around us but there wasn't. Oh, and it didn't rain a drop. We sure could have used the rain but it missed us.

.

Finally Finished...Junkie Design Team June Layout

2009-06-28T13:47:00.007-05:00

I am finally finished with this month's Junkie Design Team assignment. It's been a rough couple weeks with vacation, the flu, a toothache, a root canal and work all rolled up in one. But I survived.

On this second project of two I got to do a 12 x 12 layout using some great papers from My Minds Eye Breaking Free collection and one of Heidi Swapp's Invisible Papers.

The Invisible Paper was spritzed generously with Glimmer Mist and speed dried with an embossing tool. The pom-pom trim and rick rack were natural colored to begin with, but were also spritzed with Glimmer Mist to match the color scheme. The flowers and surf boards were cut from the MME patterned papers. Diamond Glaze was painted onto the surf boards to give them a lacquered look and then sprinkled lightly with some ultra fine glitter for a little pizazz. Stickles were used to embellish the flowers and pop dots gave them a dimensional look.

I had a blast putting this layout together. I really love playing with the glimmer mist and getting my hands a little dirty. I thorougly enjoyed the challenges this month and am looking forward to the next assignment.

Junkie Design Team Canvas Album is Complete.

2009-06-26T21:41:00.004-05:00

The Junkie Design Team Canvas Album has been completed . Tonight was the 4th of July Social at the Junkie and I turned in my part of the collaborative effort: the cover. Beth and I inserted the pages that the other Design Team Members completed and it is to die for!!! I love how it all came together. Each and every page reflects the personality and charm of each of the designers. I am so proud to be a part of this design team. The talent in this group is amazing and I love working with all my fellow design team members each and every month. Take a look at the amazing talent in this group!

Great News!!!

2009-06-24T21:55:00.003-05:00

One of the Junkie Design Team projects I am working on (and yes I will post pics soon) is a part of a really cool Canvas Album from the Donna Downey/Prima canvas lines. Each of the Junkie Design Team members got to do a part of the album and the really cool part about it is that one of us is going to get to keep the album!!! When it is all completed the Design Team is going to draw names to see who the lucky winner will be! The album features the Making Memory new Travel line and it is awesome. I can't wait to see it all finished and put together. Someone is going to be one lucky duck to receive this!!! Good Luck to all my fellow Design Team Members and thanks Beth for a wonderful idea! I will keep you posted and PROMISE to post pics of my part soon.

I'm Late I'm Late for a very important Junkie Design Team Project for June!

2009-06-23T14:27:00.002-05:00

Just a quick note to let you know I am still alive. I have my nose buried in my Junkie Design Team project for the month. I got a late start because of my vacation but am having a great time with it so far. I can’t wait to post pictures . A little hint….Can you say Canvas Album, Making Memories Travel Line and My Minds Eye. This is fun stuff folks!!! Stay Tuned!!

Back From Vacation!

2009-06-15T19:13:00.008-05:00

We had a wonderful trip to San Antonio and then on to El Paso. In San Antonio we visited the Alamo, the River Walk and Sea World. The kids had a blast. On Tuesday we drove to El Paso for Mickey's Dad's memorial service. There we also took a day trip to White Sands National Monument in Alamogordo, New Mexico, and we visited family and friends. I had not been home in seven years and alot had changed. The day after we arrived in El Paso, Wyatt got sick with the Type A flu and we had to spend two days in the hotel room. We tried not to let it put a damper on the trip. Thankfully he was feeling well enough to go to his Grandpa's memorial and got to enjoy most of the trip. It was good to be back home after not having been there in so long. I had forgotten the cool evening breezes and the delicious Mexican Food! Yum Yum. We had a wonderful visit and we enjoyed seeing everyone. Time went by so fast and we didn't get to spend as much time with everyone as we would have liked, but there is always next time.

May Scrapbook Junkie Design Team Layouts

2009-05-25T21:22:00.000-05:00

I finally finished this month's Junkie Design Team Layouts! I love how they turned out.

The first layout was quite the challenge. I had three sheets of the lace papers by Creative Imaginations and had to use all three on the same layout. I cut the green and pink lace papers and layered them onto the black. I think I pulled it off. I used lots of bling, Prima Say It In Pearls, and lots of Glimmer Mist! I just love the Glimmer Mist. I can't believe i didn't know about this stuff until now. It is so awesome. I spritzed white flowers and it worked especially well on the Heidi Swapp Invisible Medallion. I love it! It's a little over the top, but hey we all have to go over the top sometime right!

The second layout I had tons of fun doing. First I used the Circle paper by Creative Imaginations Samantha Walker and the American Crafts Debate Team paper as the base over black Prism cardstock. Then I went to cutting out the cute elements from the Making Memories Just Chillin' Paper. Isn't the robot adorable! I am not sure who the guitar rub on is from but it went on like a dream. I used tons of Stickles to glam it up and embellished with Cherry Art cardstock punchouts.

It was a busy scrappin' weekend. And it's not over yet. I am currently working on a tribute album for my father-in-law and I must finish it before his Memorial the first week in June.

I guess I better get back to it.

Until later!
Heidi

Hello...(tap tap tap) ....Hello....is this thing on?

2009-05-18T13:05:00.003-05:00

I know that I have been missing in action this last week, there has just been a ton of stuff going on and I haven't had much time to post. But for those of you that might be wondering....I am here.

I have been busy working on my first oil painting (no it isn't done yet) and I have been busy with this months Junkie Design Team project.

I got some beautiful papers from Creative Imaginations and cool & funky from Cherry Art. I have one layout almost done...just needs the finishing touches....and I will post. It was a challenge but the results have been worth it. Just a hint...crowns, lace papers, bling, Basic Grey fibers (yes they are still around), Heidi Swapp Invisibles, and Glimmer Mist.

Stay tuned...

Mother's Day Morning Surprise

2009-05-10T12:49:00.012-05:00

What a wonderful Mother's Day Morning it has been. First, I was awoken by my wonderful hubby and kids with breakfast in bed. Yummy scrambled eggs, bacon and homemade chocolate filled crescent rolls served with a side of red carnations. It was delicious. They presented me with handmade cards and a wonderful bottle of my favorite perfume. There were lots of kisses, hugs and "I love you's", making this Mother's Day one that I will never forget! I have the most amazing family.

After serving me my breakfast, the boys ran down stairs to do the same for their Grandma. She was also wonderfully surprised. Mom loves gardening so we put together a gardening tote with new gardening tools, gloves, a sun hat, mosquito spray (we live in Houston folks), and a kneeling pad. She loved it!

But the gift she seemed to love the most was the "Tribute To My Mom" album that I made for her. I actually put this album together a couple months ago, and had it tucked away. I used the Making Memories Chloe's Closet line and a floral shaped chipboard album. I love the way it turned out but most importantly it was a big hit with Mom!

A trip to the beach was in the plan for today, but Mom decided she would rather stay home and tend to her garden. So we are going to hang out here at the house and Hubby is cooking a delicious smoked brisket for dinner. Yum! I hope that all of you are having as wonderful a Mother's Day as I am. Till next time...

October Afternoon in May

2009-05-03T16:53:00.003-05:00

Have you seen the new October Afternoon Cherry Hill papers? Aren't they adorable? I just love the apples and cherries. This little book I put together for the 7Gypsies Binderie Punch demo over at the Junkie yesterday. I used some Theresa Collins Chipboard Covers and Blank Die Cuts and and inked them with coordinating inks. I then embellished with October Afternoon Detours Rubber Charms and Prima Flowers. The perfect combination for a simple gift album! I can't believe how quickly this little book came together.

7Gypsies Album

2009-05-02T23:21:00.001-05:00

Today at the Junkie I demonstrated the new 7Gypsies Binderie Punch. If you haven't seen this little punch in action, I strongly encourage that you check it out. It is awesome. This little album I put together using the kit that came with the Binderie Punch. I love the rich colors of the 7Gypsies Market Collection papers. They are delicious! These papers coupled with some of the Tim Holtz Hardware and Prima Flowers, and I was in heaven. I love how this album turned out.

NSD & Demo-Nars at the Junkie

2009-05-01T09:39:00.003-05:00

Come out to The Scrapbook Junkie this Saturday, May 2nd at 1PM for a free Demo-Nar! It's National Scrapbooking Weekend and I get to demonstrate this little wonder of a punch from 7Gypsies, the Binderie motorized punch. This little gem is a must have. It makes punching so easy breezy!!! It punches through anything and everything at the push of a button. I was skeptical when I first saw it, but it took me about 3 seconds to realize that this was one cool tool.

I hope you will come out and check out The Junkie's first Demo-Nar! It's gonna be fun.

Hugs,

Heidi

Thoughts.

2009-04-30T14:40:00.010-05:00

Your voice echoes in my heart.

My spirit is warmed by your words.

A new day is breaking.

I think I can hear the birds sing sweetly.

It gives me hope.

I AM A LUCKY DUCK

2009-04-28T20:32:00.002-05:00

I can't believe it....I won again. A couple weeks ago Prima and Tattered Angels teamed up and held a couple contests. The one over on the Tattered Angels' website featured glimmer mist and Prima products and you had to guess the number of sprays of glimmer mist in a 2oz bottle and guess what....I won! Yep I guessed 327. Turns out there are approximately 328 sprays in the bottle. That's a lot of glimmer mist!

I was so surprised to get the email yesterday announcing my win. Looks like I will be getting some delicious glimmer mist and some Prima products to alter! I can alter a bunch of stuff with 328 sprays!!!

Thanks Tattered Angels!!

To Be or Not to Be....That is the question!

2009-04-21T23:17:00.005-05:00

Tonight my son Austin performed in his first theatre production. A Fairy Tale Courtroom was the name of the play and Austin had the lead role. The play featured a whacky bunch of fairy tale characters who were witnesses at the trial of the Big Bad Wolf and the Wicked Witch on trial for their crimes. Austin played the Big Bad Wolf.

Every Mother is proud of their child, but I have to tell you I was so excited and proud of Austin tonight. He is such a natural talent. He just cracked me up!!! He was so funny! He has always been animated and theatrical, but he really took the cake tonight.

I am not sure where this acting gene came from...but he has definately got it.

Great job dude!!! Tonight you rocked!!!!

Almost Washed Away

2009-04-19T15:21:00.005-05:00

Yesterday we had terrible storms in the Houston area. I had been out and about all day, first had my oil painting class in the morning and then did the make-n-take over at the Scrapbook Junkie. When it was time to pack up and go home the storms had peaked and there was quite the down pour.

Well I needed to get home to get my kids to their guitar lessons so I headed out into the storm. Not a very smart move I must say. It was definitely slow going and despite some high water I forged on through the rain. At one point I thought I was going to make it but the route I intended to take was blocked off because of high water. I cut through a parking lot and got back out on the interstate access road and kept moving.

Because I had already gotten through the high water once, I decided to keep going and that was a bad mistake. In the highest part of the water the engine on the van seized up and the engine died. I tried to restart but no luck. I didn't know what I was going to do. The water was so high and the wake from the other vehicles making through around me, caused my vehicle to float and loose a little ground. Then I noticed that the van started to take in water. "Oh God!" I prayed "Please help me through this. This is bad and I need your help."

I was frantic and despite trying to attract the attention of passers by I couldn't get anyone to help me. I sat alone and helpless in the high water. More and more water was coming into the car. I knew enough not to get out of the vehicle. I stayed put. I called my husband crying. He was at work and there was no way he could come and help me. Even if he had left work, the roads were so bad he would have never been able to get to me. There was desperation in his voice knowing he couldn't get to me.

I noticed that the traffic on the interstate was slowing down and I saw a green truck that had pulled over on the side of the road up on the interstate. Suddenly I saw a young man in a cowboy hat wading across the median, coming in my direction. I guess he could see the fear in my face. He asked me if he could help. I told him my car wouldn't start and that I there was about 3 inches of water in the floor board by this time. He told me to put the van in neutral and he got behind the van and pushed. I don't know how he did it but he pushed and pushed and pushed with is bare hands and brute strength, and pushed my van out of the water and on to higher ground. Thank God he was there. I do not know what I would have done. This young man told me to turn everything off in the car to preserve my battery and told me to lock the car doors. He asked me if I had a cell phone and I did and he told me to call roadside assistance; said the number was on my drivers license. I told him he was and Angel from God and thanked him over and over for his help. I will never forget his face.

Well I was out of the high water, but there I sat. The car would not start. The kids called me wondering where I was. I didn't tell them I was stranded because I didn't want them to worry. I told them I was stuck in traffic and that I was safe and that I would be home soon.

In the mean time, I talked to my husband again and he told me to leave the car sit for a while to let the water drain out of the exhaust and the engine and said to wait a while and then try it. Well I knew that something was wrong with the battery because it just made a buzzing noise when I tried to turn it over. A couple firemen and policemen waded by my car and asked if I was okay. I told them I was better, having been pushed out of the high water, but that I needed a wrecker. The firemen said that I would not be able to get a wrecker and to just sit tight. "Try to call someone to help you." she said. Sheesh. I was in a bad spot that is for sure. I watched as the firemen proceeded up the road and at one point the water was chest high. I cannot believe how high the water got in such a short period of time.

After about 2 1/2 hours I was getting desperate. The kids were calling me wondering when I was coming home and I began thinking I might have to sit there until dark. I started thinking about who I knew that had a high profile vehicle. I immediately thought about my next door neighbors. I knew their big truck would be able to get through the high water. I called them. Sure enough, Tim was there in less than 15 minutes. I could not believe it. I felt so relieved to see his truck pull up along side mine.

We tried to jump start the car the first time and it failed. Traffic was backing up behind his truck and he had to move out of the way. After the traffic cleared we decided to try it one more time. As he attached the jumper cables one more time I said a prayer "Dear Jesus, I need your help! Please make this work." And it did! The engine fired up. I let the engine rev for a little bit. In the mean time someone else that had stalled out asked Tim for a jump and he helped him too. Tim followed me home to safety.

As Tim stood there in the pouring rain, drenched from head to toe, I realized how blessed I am. First to have Tim and Theresa as friends. They were there when I needed them. Thanks guys! You are the best! And second, to have the compassion and caring of a total stranger to put himself in harms way to help me. I am humbled by this and feel blessed and fortunate. You know we hear everyday about how the world has gotten to be so cold and uncaring. While there maybe some truth to this statement, but I believe and have witnessed first hand that there are mostly very good people in this world. People that are willing to make sacrifices for friends, and in my case total strangers.

Well needless to say it was not the ending I would have liked for an otherwise wonderful day, but Thank God He was there with me through it all! I Thank God for the wonderful friends that I have that came in my time of need and I Thank God for the Cowboy Angel he sent to help me out of the high water. Who ever you are and where ever you are, know that I will always say a prayer for you!

My kids took these photos of the flood waters that tried to make their way up into the yard.

EXCITING PRIMA NEWS & MAKE-N-TAKES!

2009-04-16T19:28:00.013-05:00

TOOT TOOT!!! HONK HONK!!! BEEP BEEP!!!
I was OVER THE MOON today to find that
Prima Marketing has featured my Go Green two page layout on their blog! What an awesome privilege. I am such a HUGE Prima fan and THIS has got to be one of my most exciting moments! THANK YOU PRIMA you made my day! Prima rocks!

AND I wanted to also tell you.....

I will be doing a Make-N-Take at the Scrapbook Junkie from
1PM-3PM this Saturday, April 18th. Beth gave me some really cool 7Gypsies stuff to create a project. Plus, Rhonda put together a really cool project using some fun Sassafrass products. It is going to be great fun so stop by and have some fun with us. Quantities are limited so come early!

Portait Oil Painting 101

2009-04-13T21:52:00.001-05:00

I have always wanted to learn how to oil paint so I decided to take some classes. I have done some portrait sketches in charcoal but wanted to try my hand at painting. So I found a local artist that teaches painting classes in Webster and I gave her a call. Her name is Dana Schoppa and she is one wonderful lady. She is so enthusiastic, warm and encouraging.

When I got to my first lesson I didn't know what to expect. I didn't know what I would paint the first time. So I took with me some of my sketches and showed them to her. She told me that I really needed to be doing portraits. But what should I paint to start with? I asked her. "A portrait!" she said. You have got to be kidding me. My first attempt and she wanted me to dive head first into a portrait. Hmmm is this lady nuts or what? Well I set aside my fears and she stepped me through the process.

To start she has a bunch of calender art to use as subjects and I dug out the only portrait calender art there was. George Washington, of all people. I got to work. Step by step she guided me through the process of sketching my subject, mixing colors, and putting the paint on canvas. By the end of the first lesson I was thinking "Well maybe I can do this...we will have to see."

Well this past Saturday was my second lesson and I am really starting to get very excited about this. My portrait of is almost finished and it is starting to look like something. I still have to do the eyes, some detailing, some corrections and some shading and I still have to paint the clothing, but it is looking like I may finish at my next lesson this Saturday!

I can't wait to start on the next portrait. The second one will be of someone I love! Not sure who yet.

Here is a photos of the portrait in full swing. The three subjects are supposed to be George Washington as an old man, a middle age man and and a young man. You can see the subject photo at the left of the painting. It is far from perfect, but not too shabby for the first time.

What do you think....should I keep going at it? Be honest, be brutally honest. I can take it.

HE IS RISEN!!!

2009-04-12T19:18:00.005-05:00

Happy Easter to you all! I hope that you are having a wonderful day celebrating.

My day started out very early this morning. My husband worked nights last night and got off at 6AM. He woke us up when he got home and we got ready for the 8:30AM service at Lakewood Church up in Houston.

We have been members of Lakewood Church since 2002 and we just love the Osteen Family. Many people ask me what it is like to attend one of their services and I all I can say is that it is AWESOME!! The Praise and Worship is like no other church I have ever been too and the of course Joel Osteen's messages of hope and encouragement leave you feeling loved and uplifted. Yes the church is huge, but if you have ever gone you would probably agree that once you are there it doesn't feel like you are in a huge arena. It feels warm and personal and you feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. God shows up every Sunday! You better believe it. We have tried other churches and to this day have not been able to find the same connection as we do there. If you are ever in the Houston area, you must go to one of their services. You are going to love it.

After the service we ate at my most favorite restaurant in Houston, Chuy's Mexican Food, over on Westheimer. It was so delish! It had been a while since my BFF and I had gone and I was going through some serious withdrawals. I feel better now! LOL

When we got home I took a little nap (ahhh it was so nice) and then got up and put the Easter Ham in the oven. The day is almost over and I can't believe that I did not take a single photo today. Darn it. Oh well, we did take some on Friday though.

A friend of ours told us about this big field of Bluebonnets here in League City and we all headed out for some photos. My BFF Wendy and her daughter Catherine joined us and we got some awesome photos. Every year we miss the bluebonnets because we don't want to drive up to the Hill Country, but not this year. They were pratically in our own backyard! So these are our Easter photos. Hope you like them.

Hugs, Heidi

AND THE WINNER IS....

2009-04-10T22:28:00.002-05:00

Kimberly Johnson said...
Heidi! What a wonderful thought! A giveaway for your 100th posting! Sounds like a great idea! If you get time check out my blog at www.queencrop-a-lot.blogspot.com. I'd love to come to Houston sometime and crop with you guys!Kim
April 5, 2009 3:47 PM

Please email me your mailing address and I will send you your prize!!!

Congratulations and thank you to all that participated. Stay tuned I will have another giveaway real soon!

Hugs to all
Heidi

Still Time...Don't miss out!

2009-04-08T21:05:00.002-05:00

There is still time to get your name in the hat for the 100th Post Blog Giveaway!!! These Rhonna Farrer stamps are awesome!
All you gotta do is:
Post on your blog about this giveaway.
Add yourself as a follower of my blog.
Leave me a comment with your email address and a link to your blog.

Good Luck!

Going Green!

2009-04-07T09:27:00.001-05:00

Going Green is all the rage right now so I thought it might be time that I get on board.
When I did this layout I used the Prima Voila felt borders. They are self adhesive and have a removable backing to them. When I pulled off the backing I just couldn't bring myself to throw the backing away. So instead I inked it up with Colorbox Chalk inks and embossed with some clear embossing powder and Voila (no pun intended) I had two borders for the price of one!

Pretty cool huh? I saved money, had fun and saved the planet all in one shot! Life is good.

Hugs,
Heidi

100 Posts!

2009-04-05T10:14:00.007-05:00

Can you believe that I have actually hit my 100th post! This post is actually 101 but I can not let this milestone go by with out a celebration. And what better way to celebrate than to have a giveaway!! All you gotta do is:

Post on your blog about this giveaway.

Add yourself as a follower of my blog.

Leave me a comment with a link to your blog.

Easy breezy!!

What will you get? Well lets see....

How about some Rhonna Farrer clear stamps.

Not too shabby huh! Well I hope you will play along and help me celebrate my blogging anniversary. You have until next Friday, April 10th at 9PM to post.

Hugs to all,

Heidi

To Do What I Love

2009-04-01T23:15:00.009-05:00

In keeping with my commitment to schedule more ME time, I am excited to announce that have decided to enroll in an oil painting class. Starting this Saturday at 9:30AM I am going to give my art another try.

This isn’t my first attempt. About 5 years ago I was hanging out with my Mom and we were talking about how many artists there were in my family. My cousins from my Mom’s side of the family were almost all graphic and or commercial designers by trade. Those that didn’t have a career in it were still very gifted in the arts. They all have incredible artistic talent. My Mom, who always wanted to be a fashion designer, is also great at sketching, sewing, knitting, crocheting and was always doing arts and crafts as I grew up.

When I was a kid I used to love to sit next to her while she talked on the phone because invariably she would take to doodling. But her doodling was far from what I would call doodling. It usually looked like the drawings you would see on the covers of the Butterick or McCall sewing patterns. You know those fashion one-line sketches that looked like Barbie Doll women with little waists, full bosoms and long lean shapely legs in fashionable gowns with interesting angles. She really has some incredible drawing skills but sadly has never pursued this gift.

On this one particular day that we discussed the family gifts, I, remembering her drawings and I asked her to show me how to draw. She gave me a lesson or two (while she discounted her own incredible skill) and sent me on my way.

I was intrigued and challenged and went out and bought me a sketch pad, a couple of drawing pencils, and a kneaded eraser and started sketching everyone that would let me. First I started with my kids, then friends would give me photos of their kids and I would practice on them. Sometimes the drawings turned out good, but sometimes they were pretty scary. My Mom’s drawing always looked like fashion drawings, but I aspired to make my drawings a true likeness, a life-like image with depth and texture.

I practiced and practiced and practice until one day I actually created a drawing that was a spot on image of my son Austin.

I was astounded that I could do this. I was very proud of my accomplishment. But as I continued to sketch I grew tired of the pencil drawings. I had rubbed a raw spot on my thumb trying to shade and I wanted desperately to add color. So I went over to the arts supply store and purchased some charcoal pencils and some pastel crayons and started again. I loved working with the colors and they were extremely forgiving. If I made a mistake I just erased and started over. It was fantastic. One drawing after another I got better and better. I am a huge Michael Jordan fan and I would sit and sketch his likeness from photos in my Jordan coffee table book. I loved the deep tones of his skin. It was a great challenge.

There were times when I was drawing when it felt as if I were looking at things for the very first time. I was looking at things differently. It is hard to explain, but all of a sudden I was seeing the lines, the curves and the depth in a different way. It all started making perfect sense. I knew where I needed to pull back and where I needed to let go and the results were impressive. I remember feeling that God had poured this gift inside me and I was discovering it for the very first time. Did I deserve this gift? Is it really mine to keep? I felt so privileged. I began believing that Yes, I was really talented; I was an artist; a real artist”. It felt good.

Then one day I just stopped. I don’t really remember why or when, but I just stopped drawing. I told myself I had the gift. I knew I could do it, after all I had the drawings to prove it, but after some time had passed, when I tried to pick up the pencils and duplicate my efforts, it just didn’t feel the same. It was almost as though God had changed his mind about the gift. “Nope, I take that back” God must have thought. “I decided that you aren’t going to have this gift.” “You don’t deserve this gift.” And it was gone.

I know this sounds pretty crazy (I told you this would get interesting) but that is how it felt. I debated whether God might have felt that I wasn’t deserving of such talent. This was nonsense. Why wouldn’t I deserve it? I had committed my life to Christ. I was going to church on a regular basis, I making every effort to walk in love and live my life to Honor Him. Yet somehow, deep inside it still felt as if I had displeased him somehow. The feeling was gone. The passion was but a burning ember. The belief that I had the gift in me had faded to a faint glow.

But here lately it is as if someone has fanned the flame again. I can feel the desire rising up in my spirit and I am going to give it another try. Truthfully, my cup runneth over. The desire to create has become so intense and I feel as if I will go mad if I don’t bleed some of this creativity off. I know it is there and it is calling to me.

I was talking to my husband about my funk, trying to explain what it is that has been bothering me and as I ran on and on about housework and homework and laundry and honey-do’s I realized what the problem was…it wasn’t all these things in my life that were getting on my last nerve as much as it was that these things in my life were keeping me from what I needed to do. These things were stealing my time and creative energy and keeping me from draining off the creative desires of my heart. I likened it to that of a man with an unquenchable thirst for a woman and his inability to satisfy his urge. Imagine for just a moment what that would feel like. Frustrating huh? Well THIS is why I have been feeling like I am going to burst inside. This is why I feel agitated and aggravated. This is why I resent the fact that my time is being stolen away from me. This is the funk, or at least part of it. I do not like it, so I am going to try and change it. Starting Saturday. I will keep you posted.

GCD Design Team Call

2009-03-31T22:38:00.003-05:00

Recently GCD Designs had a design team call. I really wanted to submit an entry because I love their product lines but after reviewing the requirements, I realized that I would not be able to commit the time needed to complete the required projects each month. As much as I love their product line, four projects a month in addition to the Junkie Design Team requirements, would put me over my limit. But I congratulate those that did submit and those that were selected. On Monday, April 6th they will be announcing their new design team and in honor of this event they are having a giveaway. Don't miss out on the big announcement!

I can't wait to see who was selected and to see what awesome work they will showcase.

Fighting the Funk

2009-03-31T14:09:00.004-05:00

One of my New Year’s Resolutions this year was to keep it REAL! Well I have to confess that lately I have been holding out on you guys. Yep, the reason I haven’t been blogging much has to do with the fact that lately I have been in a funk. It’s not really depression, not really stress, not really frustration, but rather it has been everything and nothing in particular. Sort of the sign of the times I guess.

I have been doing a lot of soul searching and self analysis, talking and evaluating and I have made a few realizations:

First, I can’t please everyone. No matter how much I try, there are those that will not be pleased.

Second, I am a creative soul that is desperate, yes desperate, desperate, desperate to create, but life has a way of getting in the way. This frustrates me to no end.

Third, I am angry at some people in my life and because I have not been able to resolve this anger, it is beginning to manifest itself into resentment, and I know that this can be toxic.

Fourth, I need my ME time. To ensure that I get it, I have to be more structured about scheduling it rather than trying to steal it away and then frustrated when others steal it back.

Fifth, I have been away from The Church too long. My faith has not wavered, in fact I have drawn particularly close to God during these times, but I have been making excuse after excuse for why I am not attending service on a regular basis. The result has been a slow fade. (To quote a popular Christian song) and this scares me. I never want to go back to where I was when God found me.

I am not entirely comfortable making this the forum to bleed from my gut, but I do want to keep it REAL. I want you to know the real me; the imperfect me. I am not chronically happy and I don’t live in a bubble of moonbeams, but rather, I am a flawed soul who lives in a far less than perfect world that has problems just like many of you. And, I am an artist. I sketch, I write, I scrapbook and I want to explore painting. Art is WHO I am. It is my therapy and my sanctuary. It is my God given gift and I want to grow in it. I want YOU to know my struggles to be the artist that God has called me to be.

So, you can expect that in the days to come I am going to TRY (yes try because I make no guarantees) to chronicle my artistic journey. Be prepared for ups and downs, good days and bad. Some days will be diamonds, some days will be stones. You may not be comfortable with the truth about my life, but it will be the truth. I know that some times it is going to be hard for me to say what I have to say and I may not be able to find the words, but I am going to try. So, are you with me? Will you stick around and watch me grow?

A Weekend of Nada!

2009-03-29T21:04:00.002-05:00

The weekend blew by and basically it was uneventful. Apart from a trip to the Junkie (one of the highlights of the weekend), some running around with Mom today, a visit from my BFF Theresa and baby boy Matthew, and some laundry, things were relatively quiet. I am always so amazed at how fast the weekends go and how slow it takes for Friday to come around.

I didn't do much scrapping this weekend. I did complete a double paged spread using the Basic Grey Archaic line, but my camera is in the shop so I am unable to take photos of it. :-[

Next week I have a doctor's appointment, a conference call and hopefully lunch with my BFF.

I promise to post more next week.

Hugs,
Heidi

Are you a Fisk-a-teer? If not, you should be!

2009-03-25T18:35:00.004-05:00

I heard over at the Fisk-a-teer board that they are expecting to sign up their 6000th Fisk-a-teer very soon and who ever it is will receive an awesome bundle of goodies. I have to tell you that if you aren't a Fisk-a-teer already, you really need to be. This group of crafters has got to be the most wonderful group of people on the planet. Everyone there is very friendly, encouraging and sweet. They pride themselves on sharing their love for crafting and they are always looking for ways to Bless other crafters, pay it forward and perform Random Acts of Kindness. They never say anything snarky or insulting (like some of the boards I have visited) and ALWAYS make you feel welcomed. If you've never heard about it I encourage you to check it out, if you are a Fisk-a-teer, be sure and tell your friends about the 6000th milestone!!!

Hugs,
Heidi
Fisk-a-teer #525

I've Been Tagged!

2009-03-25T09:00:00.006-05:00

OK, so Jenny B in Indy tagged me and I now have to show you the 4th Photo in my 4th Folder and explain it, and tag 4 of my friends. This is a fun one. Here you go:

This is a photo of my husband Mick and his boss Stanley. Mick is receiving his 5 year service pin award down at the office. I love the photo because he has his beard shaved off and we don't have many photos of him sporting his bare butt face! LOL

I am tagging Lizzie, Rhonda, Deanna and Robin.

Paparazzi Mom

2009-03-24T22:47:00.001-05:00

Here lately I have been unable to get a decent shot of my boys. First I get the eye roll and then I get the hand in the face. What the heck is up with that? You don't suppose it is because I am always sticking a camera in their face do you?

TOOT TOOT TOOT ! OMG Two in One Day!!!!!

2009-03-20T08:14:00.004-05:00

Oh man, I just knew today was gonna be a great day!!! I woke up this morning and jumped onto the computer and look what I found. YOU GOTTA SEE THIS!!!!!! Talk about excited. I could hardly contain myself. You know I have been doing paper arts for many years and I always dream of having my work recognized by one of the big companies, but Making Memories. OMG! They are one of the premier companies. I am so honored and so freakin' excited.

AND THEN....
Very unexpectedly I found that my Blog has been selected to receive the Random Blinkie Blog Award for Sassafrass Lass. Check out this post (scroll down to the bottom). I mean, Sassafrass Lass too. I am over the moon with delight!!!

I hope that you will join me in my celebration!!!

Hugs.

Junkie Design Team Layout #3

2009-03-19T19:45:00.001-05:00

As promised I completed the third layout in this month's design team assignment. For this layout I got to use a bunch of the new releases from Bo Bunny. When I saw the sneak peeks for the U Bug Me line, I was all over it. I couldn't wait to get my hands on some. You can probably imagine my excitement when I saw these goodies in my packet this month.

For starters I got to use some of these awesome new papers. Aren't they adorable? I just love the colors and textures of the circles and plaids. One of the sheets was called "Arrows" and I had so much fun cutting them out and using them to create the word "CLIMB". Add to that some of the Chunky Charms Circles and Arrows in Chiffon and some Swirls & Brackets in Clear (added from my own stash) and man oh man I was in heaven.

One of my other favorite items in this layout is one of the new transparencies from Prima. I am so in love with everything Prima and the transparencies are to die for. Toss in some of the glitter alphas from Making Memories and the new Effervescence punch by Fiskars and lots of Stickles glitter glue and I was one happy camper.

I am very pleased with this month's challenge results. I can not wait to see what Beth will have us do next. We get the month of April off, but that won't keep me from scrapping. I have a bunch of new stuff to play with so stay tuned.

Hugs,
Heidi

Is your Marriage Fireproof?

2009-03-19T15:01:00.002-05:00

If you haven't seen this movie yet, I recommend that you RUN to the store and pick up a copy and watch it with your spouse TONIGHT!!!! Not tomorrow, not next week, but TONIGHT! This movie is one of the best movies I have ever seen. Every married or engaged couple should watch it together. It WILL change your relationships, it WILL change your marriage, it WILL change your LIFE. I DARE YOU to watch the move and change your life FOREVER.

Busy as a Beaver

2009-03-17T22:34:00.000-05:00

I had a scrap-busy weekend. I worked on my Junkie Design Team Layouts and got two done! Yeah!!! I am ahead of schedule.

This first layout I got to use some terrific Karen Foster Baseball papers, Queen & Company Felt Fusion and some Making Memories Glitter Alphas (love those). I even surprised myself and my hubby by doing some needle and thread work by adding some hand stitching. Put those shirts away Honey, my stitching is strictly reserved for scrapping!

On this layout the Hambly acetates were a "Hoot". The owls on the Adornit Carolee's Creations papers were so cute, a perfect fit for a woodsy theme, complimenting the photos taken on a Scout Trip to Colorado Bend State Park. Critters are all the rage right now so I was in full owl form. If you look closely you will also see that I got to use the much coveted Fiskars Apron Lace border punch that I searched high and low for and finally found and more of the Making Memories Glitter Alphas. There is hidden journaling and I added a couple Fancy Pants chipboard shapes. I am very happy with the results of this challenge.

I was on a scrappin' roll so I went ahead and finished up this layout that I started over the weekend. I am loving the The Pink Paislee Captivating Line. I love the versatility of these papers. Despite this being a more masculine layout I was still able to add some pearls, keeping it pretty simple, without making it too feminine. I think I pulled it off, what do you think?

I still have one more layout to go. I will try and get that started this week while the kids are off for spring break. My goal is to finish up this weekend.

Weekend Fly By

2009-03-16T10:53:00.002-05:00

I had two very productive weekend days....um...from a scrapbooking perspective that is...my house is a total wreck but hey I got to scrap! I finished two of my Junkie Design Team assignments and am ready to take on the third. I am determined to get them done early this time. The fact that it is spring break for the kids and that I won't have to help with homework in the evenings AND that my DH begins a stretch of 7 days off starting tomorrow, I just might make my goal. If I finish early I may get to do an extra project or two.

Oh and I have some very EXCITING news to share, but I must wait until it is official. I can give you a little hint though...
Make sure you watch this blog...you never know where someone you know might show up. (Big Grin)

Hugs,
Heidi

GCD Studios Giveaway!

2009-03-14T20:22:00.002-05:00

My new favorite company GCD Studios is having an awesome giveaway, check it out here! Their new paper lines are to die for!!! I just finished a layout using their Provence collection and I am so in love. Be sure to check out their blog.

GCD Studios & Prima...Oh My!

2009-03-13T22:32:00.009-05:00

I have been doing a little scrapping these last couple days and I am really diggin' the new Fetching line by Pink Paisley . The fabric blooms are so cute and the colors combinations were perfect for Austin's 14th Birthday celebration.

I have also fallen in love with the GCD Studios--Provence Abeille Patterned Paper. The texture and colors are so rich and sophisticated. Unlike any other paper out there right now. It is like a breath of fresh air. Different in a very good way. Add to this some Grungeboard, new Prima flowers and WOW! I am in heaven.

Next up...my Junkie projects. Stay tuned.

March Junkie Design Team Meeting

2009-03-10T22:07:00.008-05:00

Tonight we had our March Junkie Design Team Meeting. It was a blast. We got to hang out for a while, chat and and eat some great food.

One of our assignments this month was to bring a creative dessert to go along with our delicious pasta dinner. Spring was the theme for the dessert. Man, I tell you these ladies are creative and Mmmmm was everything good. Take a look at these sweet treats!!

Of course we also got our assignments and I can not wait to get started. This month we got all new products! Yeah!!! I am so excited because I get to work with BoBunny U Bug Me, Karen Foster Play Ball, Carolee's Creations Adornit Fern Collection-Hoot and some awesome Prima Transparencies. So stay tuned and check the Junkie DT blogs often.

We have the most awesome Design Team!!!

Daylight Savings Casualties

2009-03-09T14:22:00.003-05:00

I love the spring. I love the fact that everything is springing to life and waking up from a long winter. I love the smell in the air, the cool spring breezes and the beautiful colors that start to emerge after months of beige and brown. But for the love of God I HATE the daylight savings time switch! I hate having to spring forward. I have such a hard time getting up in the morning. Not to mention getting my kids out of bed at 7AM when it is still dark outside. They roll over, open one eye and the whining begins. “Five more minutes please!”

Well this morning was no different. Except this time I can’t blame the kids. I set my alarm. Really I did. I think I heard it go off at some point, but when I woke up at 7:30 AM this morning and it was barely light out, my heart began pounding out of my chest when I realized that I had to be at work at 8AM AND I still had to get the kids up. Needless to say, this morning was rough. A rough one for me, the kids and for all those that crossed my path on the way to school and work this morning. It wasn't one of my shining moments that's for sure.

Could someone PLEASE TELL ME what the benefit is of moving the clocks up one hour? Why is it a good thing that we down here in the south, when it is hotter than blazes in the summer, need one more hour of sweltering summer daylight? Who was this person that decided this and where can I reach them? I have something to say to this person and it won’t be pleasant!

I just had to get this off my chest. Whining will stop now.

AND THE WINNER IS....

2009-03-08T21:06:00.007-05:00

The winner of my blog giveaway is:

Paisley Petals said...
1. My blog is not frequented by many...so I can't give too much advice. I do get more hits though when I post comments on other's blogs or enter a challenge. 2. I don't hate anything about your blog. I do like that your writing style is professional - good grammer and spelling makes it easier to follow than some other blogs! I personally like a little bit of everything - variety is nice. If you are looking to be more popular, I would suggest tutorials or regularly scheduled posting of products/projects. You could even start your own challenges. A blog that is a good example of this is: http://www.kwernerdesign.com/blog/3. I've got you on my blog roll but I'll go follow you & post a link when I'm done with this comment. Good luck!

So please send me your email address and I will get your prize mailed to you ASAP.

Thanks to everyone for all your suggestions. I will take each and every one of them to heart.

You guys are the best!!

Thanks so much.
Heidi

ANOTHER BLOG CANDY GIVEAWAY!!!

2009-03-04T20:20:00.005-06:00

So I am pretty new to this blogging thing and I really enjoyed this process. Sharing bits and pieces about my life and sharing my scrapping project for all to see is exciting. Everyday I go to my blog and look to see who has commented and I check all my favorite blogs to see what has updated. There is something extremely gratifying in finding that what you have written or posted has been enjoyed by others. I am working hard to post regularly and keep things interesting. The one thing that amazes me is that one of my favorite blogs, The Pioneer Woman, gets thousands of hits everyday. I think that is incredible and I would love for my blog to grow to that level of popularity. But how is that done? How do you get the word out about your blog? How do you attract traffic to your blog? Do you do giveaways or advertise (like how would that work?) or do you rely on word of mouth?

So here is the deal. I have this awesome scrapbooking blog candy to giveaway. All you have to do is the following:

Tell me about how you attract traffic to your blog and how your blog went from unknown to frequented by many.
Tell me what you like about MY blog, what you hate about it, what would you like to see? Do you prefer long posts or short posts? Stories or blurbs? More pictures or less? Scrapping news or techniques or both? Be brutally honest.
And finally, please sign up to be one of my blog followers and post a link on your blog about this giveaway.

You have until Sunday, March 8th 6:00PM to leave me comments and a link to your blog after which time I will RANDOMLY pick a winner.

Good Luck to you all and thanks a bunch.
Hugs,
Heidi

Jer

2009-02-27T13:56:00.004-06:00

"Then he breathed his last and died and was gathered to his people, old and full of years. "
Genesis 35:29

It is with profound sadness that I tell you that my Father-in-Law, Jerry, whom so many of you have prayed for in these last few days, has gone to be with The Lord. Complications from a triple bypass and valve replacement surgery left him weak and unable to sustain. He passed away on Monday evening. He was 78 years old.

Jerry was a wonderful man who lived for his wife and children; always putting his family first. He was a proud father and grandfather, a decorated soldier for over 20 years in the Army, hard-working, honest, loyal and lived life with utmost integrity. He was a dedicated and loving husband for over 50 years to my mother-in-law Roann and she, along with all of us will miss him so very, very much. I ask that you please continue to lift our family up in prayer, especially Roann, as we transition through this difficult time.

Thank you again for all of your prayers.

Hugs,
Heidi

This Made Me Smile Today!!!

2009-02-23T19:14:00.002-06:00

My blogging friend Jenny sent me an envelope of goodies today and inside were some awesome embellishments and this ADORABLE card. I just love it. That little bird makes me smile so much. Jenny you are the sweetest. I love ya girl!!!

Decompression Therapy

2009-02-22T23:06:00.005-06:00

Stress has a way of eating at you sometimes. For me it does two things. I get hungry and I get creative. Creativity is a way to decompress and lose myself and all my problems and go off into a world all my own. Well this past week was one of those weeks. You know the kind. The kind where everything seems to go wrong, "Hurry up and wait" is the hit single of the week, and my last nerve is hanging by the last thread. So how did I handle it? Well mostly I got creative.

I poured myself into my Junkie DT projects. I ate way too much junk food. I cried on my best friend's shoulder (ALOT), I stayed up way to late and slept in way to long. But hey, I survived. And guess what, tomorrow starts a whole new week. Yeah!!!!

Well here are some pictures of my creativity at it's highest point of stress. I started with a little Dollar Tree bird house added some Ranger acrylic paints and then added some Making Memories Chloe's Closet papers and embellishments. I hope that you enjoy it. It was definately theraputic and I think it's kinda cute.

Hugs, and have a great week. I am counting on it.

February Junkie Design Team Layouts

2009-02-21T01:00:00.003-06:00

It has been a very busy week for me but I give thanks for the weekend. Whew! I sure need it.

Tonight I finished up my Junkie Design Team Layouts. The first layout featured some really cool papers from Lil' Davis called Ready, Set, Go. I got to use some matching chipboard stickers and some awesome Maya Road clear acrylic ribbons and some really cool glitter paper. Loved that glitter paper.

The second layout features some beautiful papers from Fiskars Cloud 9 Designs Sparkle line. The rich earthy tones made me think about my sons guitar so I immediately went searching for just the right photos. In addition to these wonderful papers I got to play with some awesome sequined trim, some chipboard borders, some very cool glitter paper and some golden pearls. It was a challenge coming up with something that was masculine yet not too glitzy, but I am satisfied with the results.

I would love to hear what you think about the results of this month's assignment.

I also have a prayer request. Can you please keep my Father-in Law, Jerry, in your prayers. He is in intensive care in El Paso and will have to have quadruple bypass surgery on Monday. He took ill about a week ago and it has been slow going ever since. He suffers from respiratory problems and they are making his treatment options problematic. We are praying that he will be strong enough to undergo the surgery, as the doctors feel that if he doesn't have the surgery very soon his chances for survival are grim. This has been a very difficult thing for our family and we would appreciate it if you would lift him up in your prayers. Thanks so much and God Bless You all.

Hugs.

Heidi

More Blog Candy...Take A Look!

2009-02-19T22:01:00.001-06:00

Check out this fabulous blog candy over at Ching-a-Ling's Blog Not Left Standing. She is giving away some wonderful papers by Marks Paper. This is a new company and their stuff is to die for! Check it out.

Junkie Canvas

2009-02-16T12:43:00.004-06:00

I spent the weekend working on my Scrapbook Junkie Design Team assignments and finally got my Designer Profile canvas done. I first used Golden Fluid Acrylics mixed with Golden Glaze to paint a faux wood design on my canvas and then embellished it with some wonderful Sassafrass Lass Fawned of You, Too and Woodland Whimsey papers. I love these paper lines and was so excited to play with them. I hope that you like my design. Tell me what you think.

AND THE WINNER OF MY FIRST GIVEAWAY IS!!!!!!!

2009-02-13T20:25:00.003-06:00

Debby said...
I agree with Sondra.I founded a group called the Fellowship of Scrapbookers. We meet twice a month. First Saturdays all day and Third Thursday mornings. We actaully attrach different people to both dates. Since it is hard to get everyone together at the same time this seems to work. I'm usually at both, but when I can't we have a Board that decided who will be there. We generall just scrap, help one another, share tools and such. I have taught classes during our crops and they are well received. We've had parties and hosted a huge crop for NSB Day. It is fun...but it takes time. We've been meeting since September 2007 and we still keep plugging away. I find it a great joy. BTW: everything we do is FREE. If I hold a class individuals cover the materials only and that goes for the person who teaching card classes. Well, this was more than you wanted. LOL
February 10, 2009 8:01 PM

Debby I will be contacting you by email to get your mailing address. Congratulations!!!

Junkie Design Team Meeting

2009-02-10T22:34:00.005-06:00

******SCROLL DOWN FOR BLOG CANDY! YOU HAVE UNTIL FRIDAY THE 13TH!!!*******

We had a great Junkie Design Team meeting tonight. It was short but we had fun. We got to do a little photo shoot tonight to promote the upcoming St. Patty's crop. Beth had some awesome accessories for us and we had a blast stylin' for our blogging friends.

The St. Patty's Crop is on March 7th from 10am-Midnight. They will be serving lunch and it is only $15. If you are free, you should come and join in the fun.

My Junkie assignment this month is great!! I got some really cool papers from Cloud 9's Sparkle line of papers, Lil' Davis Ready, Set, Go! papers, some matching stickers, brads, sequined trim and clear ribbons. Oh and she even put some very cool glitter paper in there too. I can't wait to get started on this stuff. I love my kit for the month. These will go great with the boy's pics.

My First Giveaway Updated with Picture

2009-02-10T20:31:00.003-06:00

As promised, here is a picture of what I am giving away.

It is a beautiful 8.5x8.5 post bound K & Company Scrapbook Album from the Hopscotch Line. This would make a great addition to your families albums! I just loved it when I saw it. I think it will work for boys or girls!

Good luck y'all!

My First Giveaway!!!Updated with clarification

2009-02-10T15:45:00.005-06:00

My BFF Theresa and I are thinking about starting a scrapbooking club (one that meets once per month to fellowship and share our love for scrapbooking; a time to relax and get away) and wondered what your thoughts were. I am not referring to a club that puts scrapbooking kits together, but rather a meet and scrap type club. A bunch of crazy ladies, schleping their scrapping stuff to a meeting place once a month where we can crop, chat, eat some great foods, laugh and make friends.

Do you have any ideas, suggestions, experiences (good and bad) that you would like to share? I tried to do a paper arts club once and it had limited (and I use that term loosely) success. I know these things can go very well or they can fail painfully and miserably, but we are willing to give it a shot.

So what are your thoughts? Leave me some comments about the do’s and don’ts, blood and gore or wine and roses of scrapbooking clubs and I will randomly pick someone to be the recipient of my very first blogging giveaway!!! Yep you heard right. You have until Friday night 6PM (Central time) to tell all your friends. I will post pictures of the prize to be given away tonight. Now hurry, leave me some comments. Go on. You know you want to. Really. Is anyone there? Hello?

Toot My Own Horn!! TOOT TOOT!!

2009-02-09T09:28:00.002-06:00

I forgot to mention that this month I am featured over at the Scrapbook Junkie Blog as the Junkie Designer of the Month. The best part of it is that I get to feature this really cool banner on my blog all month. How cool is that? Thanks a million Beth, you are too sweet. Hope you all will stop by.

I Am a Featured Artist

2009-02-08T17:39:00.002-06:00

I am so excited to announce that I was asked to be the featured artist on one of my favorite blogs Just Your Average Scrapbooker. Head on over and take a look. How cool is this!!!

Delicious Webster's Pages

2009-02-07T22:09:00.006-06:00

Have you seen the new MAGICAL WISHES line of paper and embellishments by Webster's Pages? It is so beautiful. I adore the colors and the story book feel of this paper line. I can not wait to get some. And hey, check it out, they are giving away the entire line over on their blog. Don't miss out on this opportunity to win one of the hottest lines to debut at CHA this year.

Listen Up Ladies!!!

2009-02-05T14:19:00.001-06:00

This time last year I was preparing myself physically and mentally to have an abnormality removed from my right breast. Ok, so not something, most women want to talk about, but hey, LISTEN UP ladies. Do you conduct routine breast self examinations? Do you make and KEEP your annual mammography appointments? Do you get regular pap smears? Well if you don’t it’s time you make a change. Breast cancer is a real threat to the women of this world, young and old, and our best odds are to catch it early.

That is what happened to me.

In November of 2007, I went in for a routine mammogram and my test results came back abnormal. They found three tiny micro calcifications in my right breast and one in my left breast. They were very teeny tiny but suspicious. My radiologist gave me the option of waiting 6 months and checking again to see if there are any changes, or to have the areas biopsied. Well, I took the biopsies. It’s was probably nothing I told myself, but I had a gut feeling and thought better safe than sorry. Well guess what, it turned out to be something. My doctor told me I had atypical ductal hyperplasia, essentially the calcification was one stage removed from cancer. The doctor’s recommended that I have the area surgically removed. I did that last year on February 14th, Happy Valentine’s Day! Since my ordeal, my best friend was also diagnosed with breast cancer. She is in her mid-twenties and would have never thought in a million years that it could happen to her, but it did. After almost one year of chemotherapy, surgery and radiation she is on her way to a full recovery.

My point in sharing this story is this: Had I not had kept my appointment and blown off my mammogram like I so desperately wanted to do things may have turned out differently. Early detection is the key.

Have you hugged your breasts today?

This has been a public service announcement.

Hugs to all you wonderful women out there!

OMG I WON AGAIN!!!!

2009-02-02T10:04:00.002-06:00

I entered a contest during CHA over at the Creative Cafe blog and guess what? I WON!!!

It seems that I have won $150 prize package of Creative Cafe goodies and a wonderful Make N Take for Mother Day. All I can say is WOW!!! If you haven't been over to see the Creative Cafe blog, you really should check it out. It has tons of wonderful ideas and inspiration. I am so excited to have won. Thank you Creative Cafe!

A Weekend of Reorganization

2009-02-01T23:04:00.002-06:00

Where did the weekend go? It seems to have evaporated. But I can tell you that it was not in vain that is for sure.

Friday evening I went to work in my scrap room, sorting and organization all my scrapping goodies. To start I went through all my scrapbook paper and purged all that I no longer wanted. Whew! That was liberating. It has been a long time coming I will tell you that. The last time I went through a purge like this was a little over 1 year ago, so I was definitely over due. My BFF and scrapping buddy Theresa came over on Saturday to help. I have all my paper and embellishments organized by color so she and I went stack by stack and pulled paper.

I did the first pass. There was a time when I would always buy 4 sheet of each patterned paper that I liked because I love to share. Having 4 sheets on hand would allow me to share and still leave me with enough for me. But what it also did was leave me with way more paper than I will ever need. So as I went through each stack I pulled out the duplicates and kept only enough for me.

She then took the stacks and made a second pass and kept the designs that she liked. Once we purged all the paper, then I was able to sort all the new papers that have been stacking up and put it in it's respective color stack. Then I went through all my kits and did the same. Once I had all the paper done I moved on to embellishments.

I sort all my embellishments by theme, so I had to take everything new, sort it and put it in is place. I could not believe all the stuff I that I had forgotten that I bought. Crazy, yes I know, but if you are reading this blog, chances are you are afflicted with the same compulsion. Right? I knew it!!!

Now that that is complete I can actually see the top of my work table.

So I settled in to do a little scrapping tonight on my nice clean desk and my nephew, who has been battling an upper respiratory infection, who refused to go to the doctor (he is 22 and has a mind of his own), comes out of his room and he looks awful. When I asked if he was okay, he pretty much confirms my suspicion that he is VERY VERY sick and that he needs to see a doctor TONIGHT. Holy Cow! I had to rush him to the emergency room. We took him to Christus St. John and they had us out and good to go in record time. They prescribed some good meds and he is now tucked in bed, resting comfortably. Thank God he is okay! No sooner did we get home from the ER though, did my Mom tells me that she too isn't feeling well and that she would need to see a doctor in the morning.

Whew! It has been a busy weekend and it looks like my week is just getting started.

Anyway, tomorrow comes early, but I wanted to give you all an update and what was going on with me. It was a productive weekend and I survived another one.

God Bless all of you. Have a good week.

Heidi

I WON!!!! I WON!!!!

2009-01-29T23:02:00.002-06:00

I am so excited that I won my first challenge over at the Fiskateer board. I won some really cool Valentine's Day Papers and a punch for the cupcake card I submitted. This definately made my day! Thanks Fisk-a-Teers!!!

Scrapbook Junkie Sale!!! Yipeee!!!!

2009-01-29T12:55:00.003-06:00

For those of you in the Houston area, I wanted to tell you about a very cool sale that the Scrapbook Junkie has going on:

From now through Sunday, Feb. 1st, you can get 1 item at 30% off. This offer does not include clearance items or stamps, but hey 30% off is a great deal. I am running over there tomorrow at lunch to check it out. AND the really cool thing is that everytime you spend $20 your name goes into a bucket for a drawing for a $50 gift card. You can earn 1 ticket per day on Friday, Saturday & Sunday. Beth will announce the winner on Sunday evening!

I am so excited about all the lines coming out from CHA. I can't wait to get my hands on some of those goodies.

See ya at the Junkie!

Huge RAK Thank You

2009-01-27T09:31:00.002-06:00

I wanted to send a shout out of thanks to my blogging buddy Jenny for the awesome box of scrappin' goodness that she sent me yesterday! Jenny you are the best. Thank you SO much!! Big Hugs!

Cupcakes

2009-01-25T22:11:00.003-06:00

Here is a card I did for one of the Fisk-a-teer challenges tonight. Hope you like it!

Heidi needs....

2009-01-25T16:07:00.002-06:00

Ok. so one of my best friends Wendy did this really funny post on her blog where she had gone to Google and typed in her name and the word needs (i.e. Heidi needs) and hit search. The results were hysterical. So I thought I would give it a try and I loved it. I had to post the results. It really made my day. You have got to try it. This is so funny and uncannily accurate.

Heidi needs more privacy—Man is that ever the truth. My household is comprised of 4 adults, two teenagers, two dogs and gigantic sucker fish. The only privacy I get is locking myself in the bathroom and even then someone is always banging on the door wanting something. I definitely need more privacy.

Heidi needs to shut-up—Yep that’s me. I say what’s on my mind, usually without thinking. I invented the adage “open mouth insert foot”. I just need to learn to zip it.

Heidi needs one more drink—Wait a minute, I need to three or four more drinks. Didn’t you read the part about the privacy.

Heidi needs to stop—I need to stop buying scrapbooking supplies. Honestly, I have more than I will ever use in a lifetime. But I am so addicted.

Heidi needs a lifeboat—I do need a lifeboat so I can jump off this moving ship and find some privacy on a deserted island. I do have great friends though, and they are definately my lifeboats. I appreciate you more than you know.

Heidi needs prayer—I do need prayer. We all need prayer. Prayer is what brings me peace amid my chaos. It is how I survive.

Heidi needs a break—I need a break from work, I need a break from housework, I need a break from the kids, I need a break from my Mother. I just need a break. Man do I need a break.

Heidi needs a reality check—Wait a minute, I am raising teenagers. Isn’t that a reality check in and of itself.

Heidi needs a new home—I don’t just need a new home because of all the wear and tear, I need a bigger home. Six people in this house with no closet space well lets just say it is cramped. I really need a house just to store all my scrapping supplies and that would solve much of the problem.

Heidi needs more power and some help—Man is this ever a true statement. Many days I feel like I am in the middle of a loosing battle. If I get one more eye roll from my 14 year old son, I will definately need the power not to strangle him! And yes I need help. More than you could possibly know.

Heidi needs Scrapbooking with Scrap Needs—OH YEAH BABY!!! Now you are talking!!

Thanks Wen for making my day. I loved this little exercise.

Valentine's Day Cards

2009-01-24T19:40:00.005-06:00

After a day and half of tending to a very sick child, I managed to finish my Junkie projects. My oldest son has been very sick with a high fever for the last two days. While he napped I managed to crank out a couple cards, made from the left-over scraps from this months Design Team Projects and this completes my assignment. Hope you like them. Tomorrow I will drop off my completed projects.

This month's projects were definately a challange and I look forward to the next one.

Love Is In The Air

2009-01-23T16:00:00.003-06:00

I am finished with the second part of this month's Scrapbook Junkie Design Team Assignment. The first part of this month's assignment was the Disney album, which I had a wonderful time completing, but this next project was my favorite. I had so much fun working with the Splendid collection of papers by Fancy Pants. It is perfect for Valentines Day and I just love the mixture of blue, aqua, red, pink and white. Thanks Beth for such a wonderful collection of materials. It was a wonderful challenge and I look forward to the next one.

HUGE GIVEAWAY at Creative Cafe!!!

2009-01-22T08:47:00.002-06:00

Check out this wonderful giveaway from the folks at Creative Cafe!
You don't want to miss out on this.
http://mycreative-cafe.com/blog/?p=494

Another Award...Who Me?

2009-01-21T09:58:00.005-06:00

My great blogging friend Jenny just sent me a Fabulously Fabulous Blogging Award.
Thank you Jenny you are just too sweet.

I need to list 5 Favorites:

1. I love the #4 combo at Chuy's Mexican Food Restauant. It is mucho bueno!!! My BFF Theresa and I love to go there every chance we can.

2. I love PRIMA flowers. I am totally and completely addicted. I can not stop buying them.

3. My favorite thing to do is Scrapbook (of course) Are you kidding me? I am so addicted!

4. Dolce & Gabana Light Blue. That is most favorite perfume. I schmels so good!!!

5. My most favorite toy is my camera. It is a Canon 40D and it rocks. I love talking pictures and making memories.

My nominees for this blog award are:

Laura
Beth
Robin

Scrapbook Junkie Design Team Assignment 2

2009-01-19T22:56:00.004-06:00

I have been working all weekend on this Disney mini-album for the Scrapbook Junkie. We took a trip to Disney World in 2007 and I have at least 1000 pictures to scrap. This was definately the project for me. Here are some photos. Let me know what yout think.

Say Cheese!!!

2009-01-14T22:48:00.005-06:00

Why do many people shy away from the camera and refuse to have their picture taken? Have you ever noticed this? Are you camera shy? Being an avid scrapbooker I take tons of photos; photos of everything, anyone, anywhere doing everything from the ordinary to the strangest things (all in good fun). I love to take pictures. I have a really good camera (Canon 40D), or so my hubby tells me (he bought it for me), and am just getting to where I feel comfortable changing the settings and playing to achieve different results. But I must confess, I am not the greatest photographer by any margin, an amateur at best. But regardless how good the photos are or not, I feel they are so important. Good or bad, in focus or out, smiling or not, photos are precious.

I rarely discard a photo. Really! If you were to look at my digital library you will see that I keep just about every shot. I just can’t bear to throw an image away. Throw away a memory? No way.

I take photos of strange things too. One year we went to Disney World and I walked so much that my big toe nails on both feet, having pounded up against the inside of my shoes for miles and miles, fell off. I took a picture of my beat up big toes. Ha, everyone thought I was nuts!

Then, when my favorite shoes finally bit the dust, I took a picture of them so that I would remember just what they looked like, before I threw them away (shhhh, don’t tell anyone, but if the truth be told, I kept the shoes, there are hidden in a box in my closet).

Or what about the photos of my feet down by the gas pedal in my car (wait, I just noticed something, I take a lot of photos of my feet, I wonder what that means), or the one of the note that my hubby left on my dash, the day after I backed out the drive way and hit my nephew’s car. Obscure memories? Yes. But they are my memories. I want to remember everything. Why?

Well for starters, I actually have a pretty good memory; it is just very short (big grin). So making lists, taking pictures, and creating reminders, is something I must do to survive the day.

Secondly, what if I can’t remember one day. What if I wake up one morning and cannot remember a single thing. Would not these photos be a reminder of my everyday life? Would not these photos be a reminder of where my feet have been? Just kidding y’all.

But seriously, what if I couldn’t remember my loved ones some day? Or worse, what if I lost my loved one?

When my Sister, Marlene passed away in 2000 at age 45 from cervical cancer, she left behind 5 beautiful boys that were desperately clinging to every memory they had of their mother and unfortunately she was one that would shy away from the camera. We struggled to find photos of her after her death. If ever you wanted to take her picture she would give you this disapproving look and would never smile. I never understood why, because she was absolutely beautiful. Every once in a while we would get her to smile and the results were stunning. We have very few photographs of her and I find myself everyday, wishing there were more.

Maybe you shy away from the camera because you don’t think that you are photogenic. I know that I used to feel the same way. The camera always saw things just the way they truly were and by gosh I didn’t want to know the truth. You can’t handle the truth. (She said in the authoritative tone of Jack Nicholson). I am overweight and that typically translates to unbecoming multiple chins, bulges in the wrong places, lopsided profiles, crumpled up clothing and the list goes on and on. But you know what…it’s me. Yep, that’s me, good or bad it is who I am. And let me let you in on a little secret. What you see in the pictures and what others see are two very different things.

We all have an image of what we look like, be it thin, fat, young, old, pretty, ugly, happy or sad. We look at ourselves with a critical eye. We scrutinize every inch. But think about it, if you were to see someone for the first time, in person or in photos, would you scrutinize every detail or would you see the big picture? Would you say, hey there is Heidi, or would you say, hey look there are Heidi’s chins. (Don’t answer that.)

A photo is not just an image of someone or something, but rather it is an image, overlaid by a memory, which is overlaid by an emotion. It invokes at response, a glimmer of a heartbeat, a fainted gasp, a whisper of a prayer. It touches our soul, our heart and our being. It can invoke happiness or pain, laughter or tears, silence or joy. It can make you feel faint or it can cause your heart to race. It is a place where you have been, or a place where we want to go. It is who we were when or who we wish we could be again.

It is a memory, simple yet complex.

So the next time someone turns to you and says, “Say cheese”, do it. Look at the camera and give it your best smile ever. Leave them with an image of who you are right then and right there. There is a reason why they want that picture at that precise moment. They see something in you right at that moment that they want to always remember. It is an image of you that they want to keep forever. So what if your hair is out of place or your clothes are crumpled. You look perfect to them at that moment. Don’t run from the camera. Embrace it, for you, for your family, for the years to come.

Design Team Meeting #2

2009-01-13T21:53:00.004-06:00

Well tonight we had our second design team meeting. It was good to see the girls again and have a few minutes to chat. Since following everyone's blogs I feel like I know them all. I followed some of them around and played paparazzi.

Lizzie caught in the act of drooling over the Prima products!!!

Robin coveting the new Basic Grey Bittersweet.

And Laura checking out the wonderful 40% off table. You gotta see the great goodies that Beth has on sale.

Beth and Lisa had some great projects for us. I am so excited and ready to get to work. We each got two projects. My first project is a really cool 6 x 6 Disney Accordion album. I got some wonderful Creative Imaginations Signature Collection Disney Papers & stickers, some Reminisce Magic Die cut letters and some Hambly Prints acetates to complete the project.

The second project will be a Valentines Day layout featuring the Splendid Collection by Michelle Coleman at Fancy Pants Designs. It is so cute!

Lizzie was telling us that Paris Hilton is coming out with her own line of Scrapbooking and Crafting products and will debut at CHA this year. Have you heard this? I hadn't. Will she be the next Martha Stewart? We were speculating what her line would be like. Will it be all furs and glitz, jewels and gold, tiaras and glitter? I would love to hear what you think. Do you like Paris Hilton? Would you buy her stuff? What do you think would personify her style?

Wonderful Blog Candy

2009-01-12T14:46:00.004-06:00

Check out Melissa's blog for some wonderful blog candy and be sure and wish her a Happy Birthday!!! She also has some wonderful Valentine's Day Cards. Thanks Melissa!!!
Heidi

A Piece Of NFL History...It Has Arrived

2009-01-08T20:17:00.007-06:00

My youngest is THE biggest Indianapolis Colts Fan in the world. Seriously, he is more than obsessed. He is only 11, but let me tell you he is a football genius. I am not kidding. He can tell you who played what Super Bowl in what year, what the score was, who the MVP was, who the quarterback was, who the running back was. He can tell you for each and every Super Bowl that was ever played. He knows all this obscure football trivia and and can almost give you a play by play for each game. Not just the games the Colts played, but rather just about every NFL Team there is. (Grown men, love to quiz him). During football season he watches NFL network every waking hour (that we let him). In the off-season he watches NFL network or ESPN and keeps track of all the teams' training camps and the up and coming players coming out of college. He knows the stats. He has a fantasy team every year and one year even won the Super Bowl in his fantasy league, beating out his Dad. (That was too funny. )

He has played little league football for the last 3 years, playing Center, and his 14 year veteran coach (who played one season with the Houston Oilers) said he was the best center he has ever had. He collects Colts Memorabilia and is working on quiet the collection.

Two years ago he wrote Peyton Manning a letter and Peyton sent him an autographed football card. (I just love Peyton Manning, he is such a great human being.) That was one exciting moment around our house let me tell you. He then proceeded to write Peyton a thank you letter and Peyton sent him an autographed 8x10 black and white glossy that he has proudly framed and is sitting on top of his Colts locker that he got for Christmas.

Well, some of you football fans may know that this year the Indianapolis Colts got a new stadium, The Lucas Oil Stadium and the RCA Dome in Indianapolis was demolished (he watched it on TV and was very sad). Well in light of the new stadium the Colts were offering fans an opportunity to "Buy the Dome" and you can imagine his excitement and persistence when he found out. He seriously wanted in on that deal. So his Dad and I decided that for Christmas we would surprise him. We bought him a piece of home sideline turf from the RCA Dome. It wasn't available to ship until after Christmas so we wrapped up the receipt and put it under the tree with a note that it would arrive sometime after Christmas. He was completely floored when he opened the gift and life around my house hasn't been the same since. Every day he asks "Is it coming today Mom?" Well today was that day. It finally arrived. Let me tell you, this is one excited Colts Fan.

Now some of you might be thinking we are crazy, after all he is just 11, but let me tell you, this boy understands the significance and value of a piece of memorabilia like this. He touched it, caressed it, sniffed it and almost cried. As he was relishing in the moment he made this comment "Mom, do you have any idea how many of football's greatest players have played on this turf?" "Do you understand the history that was made on this turf?" I was dumb founded. "Well Gee Buddy, I don't guess I ever really thought about it in that way." (after all, it's just a piece of nasty stinky turf, okay so I am a football mom, not a football geek). He gave me and Dad a great big hug and said "Thanks Mom, Thanks Dad, this is the best gift ever and today was an awesome day." So, you tell me. Do you think he as an appreciation for this gift or what?

He carried that piece of turf up to his room and spread it out in front of his bed and sat on his bed and stared at it for what would seem like forever. I can only imagine what football highlights are going through his mind right now. And tonight when he sleeps, I know that he will have football dreams of legendary NFL Heroes, running the ball, yard after yard, touchdown after touchdown, tackle after tackle; the crowd cheering all the while in the background. He loves the game. It is in his heart and in his soul. He appreciates that piece of turf.

Now we just have to figure out what the best way would be to display it in his room (which is already wall to wall Colts Memorabilia).

If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them.

I Love This Dog

2009-01-08T12:50:00.003-06:00

This is our dog Goldi. She is smart as a tack, totally lovable, fiercely protective, horribly spoiled, and totally thinks she is a princess. She is such a good sport too. She let us dress her up in a tutu on Halloween and never missed a lick. She is a Daddy's girl and knows when to turn on that pretty girl charm. We just love her so much.

I Love my January Kit from A Million Memories

2009-01-05T20:42:00.005-06:00

When I got home there was a wonderful package waiting for me. My January Kit from http://www.amillionmemories.com arrived today and it is so wonderful! I just love the Prima Pebbles and Flowers, the Sassafrass chipboard and the Jenni Bowlin Rub on. They coordinate so well with the wonderful Jenny Bowlin Sparrow Paper, the Graphic 45 Playtime Post Collections and the Sassafras Lass Life is Beautiful Papers. This kit reminds me of the wonderful storybooks that I would read as a kid. I can't wait to dig in. If you have never tried this kit club, I encourage you to do so, you won't be sorry. They are packed full of wonderful goodies. And just in case you are wondering, I am not affiliated with them in any way, I just love, love thier kits.

Here is a pic of what was in the kit. Isn't is wonderful?

First Layout of the Year

2009-01-04T14:07:00.003-06:00

I got to do some scrapping late yesterday evening while we were watching the Colts game and this is what I came up with. The holidays are over and we took our tree down today. I am so sad to have to go back to work tomorrow. I am going to try to get another layout done today. Wish me luck. This layout was done with the Basic Grey Urban Prairie Line. When I first bought it I only bought a few sheets of it. After having worked with it, I wish now that I had bought the entire line. It is so beautiful. I hope I did it justice.

Until Later,

Heidi

THE REAL ME in 2009

2009-01-03T11:30:00.006-06:00

One of my resolutions for 2009 is to live a REAL life. So I looked up the word in the Webster's Dictionary and found this:

REAL 1: not artificial, fraudulent, or illusory; 2: genuine 3: being precisely what the name implies; 4: occurring or existing in actuality; 5: having objective independent existence; 6: in earnest; 7: genuine; 8: genuinely good or capable of success.

These definitions are precisely my aspiration for 2009. I want to be the genuine article. Never fake or phony. Always exactly who I am, good or bad, right or wrong, just ME. Those that know me know that I am pretty much an open book. I don't typically put on airs for anyone. If you have ever come to my house you know that I am not the hostess with the mostess. I am a "mi casa es su casa" kinda gal. For those of you that don't speak Spanish this translates to "My house is your house". In other words, make yourself at home. You are part of the family. You get to see us at our worst and at our best. Like it or lump it.

If you ask me what I think I will probably tell you. I will try not to be hurtful, arrogant or insensitive, but I will be totally honest with you. I usually have an opinion about things. I don't expect everyone to agree with my opinion, but I hope that you will respect it. I will respect your opinions. I may tell you where I disagree, but I will respect you.

I think I am a sensitive person. In fact, I think sometimes I can be too sensitive. But I am very aware of this and work hard at staying in balance. My feelings run very deep and when I am hurt it takes me a while to come to terms with it. I don't think I get hurt easily as I am pretty logical and accepting of where someone else is coming from, but when enough is enough, I am done.

I like to be in control. I don't necessarily HAVE to be in control. But I prefer it that way. If I don't get to be in control, my world doesn't necessarily come crashing down on me, but I may work a little harder than the average person to take the helm. I usually have some very definite ideas about how things should be and I will usually tell you or try to make it happen. However, if you disagree, that's cool too. Just tell me to back off and I will. I won't be hurt or offended, just tell me to back off. But tell me nicely and with respect, as I will treat you respectfully in return.

I particularly like the part of the definition where Webster defines the word REAL as "genuinely good or capable of success". I have experienced many successes in my life. I have a successful marriage, a successful career, wonderful kids, great friends and a beautiful home. Success. But there are areas of my life where I feel that I am not realizing my full potential. Areas where I have gotten very comfortable and reluctant to reach beyond where I am. This is going to change in 2009. I am going to take some chances and kick things up a notch. I am going to reach for success in areas that I have previously held back.

I am going to be more competitive at work. I am not going to be complacent any longer. I am going to work harder, work smarter and use my time more efficiently.

In scrapbooking, I am going to take chances and try out for more design teams. I know that I have the potential and talent and I am going to be more assertive and work to get my name out there. I am going to be REAL and honest in my layouts. I am going to be more expressive of my emotions and journal more.

For my health, I am going to get my butt off the couch and out from behind the computer and get healthy. I am going to make better choices and work harder and dropping some much needed weight.

This coming year I am going to BE REAL, LIVE REAL, FEEL REAL, LOVE REAL, and CREATE REAL. I am going to work on areas where I may have made compromises and not been completely real with myself or others. I am going to make an effort to reflect that in my scrapbooking, my relationships and in my day to day life happenings. I don't want to be anyone other than who I am. So, this is me. This is who I am and who I will continue to be, KEEPIN' IT REAL in 2009.

Stay tuned....things could get real interesting around here.

The Not-So-Secret Life Of a Nutty Scrapper

Just a Layout

Colts News: COLTS WIN: 30-17

We're Goin' To The Super Bowl!!!

Yes....Football is Our Life

Birthday Wishes!

TOOT TOOT! Published Again!!

Musical Genes..who would have thunk it!

A Day With The Indianapolis Colts and the Houston Texans!

Junkie Design Team Layouts

It's Turkey Time Again!!!!

Football Season's Over, while bittersweet it means More Scrappy Time!

Walking on Prima Sunshine

Happy Birthday Austin!

Have you Hugged Your Girls Lately?

New Camping Layout

September Junkie Project

Check out these Prima Product Picks!!!

Junkie August Design Team Layouts!!

Happy Birthday Wyatt!!!

CHECK OUT THE GCD BLOG!!!

TGIF...where did the time go?

July Junkie Design Team Projects

Donna Downey Is In The House!!!

Fresh Paint!

George Washington & The Declaration of Independence

Something Dark This Way Cometh!!!

Finally Finished...Junkie Design Team June Layout

Junkie Design Team Canvas Album is Complete.

Great News!!!

I'm Late I'm Late for a very important Junkie Design Team Project for June!

Back From Vacation!

May Scrapbook Junkie Design Team Layouts

Hello...(tap tap tap) ....Hello....is this thing on?

Mother's Day Morning Surprise

October Afternoon in May

7Gypsies Album

NSD & Demo-Nars at the Junkie

Thoughts.

I AM A LUCKY DUCK

To Be or Not to Be....That is the question!

Almost Washed Away

EXCITING PRIMA NEWS & MAKE-N-TAKES!

Portait Oil Painting 101

HE IS RISEN!!!

AND THE WINNER IS....

Still Time...Don't miss out!

Going Green!

100 Posts!

To Do What I Love

GCD Design Team Call

Fighting the Funk

A Weekend of Nada!

Are you a Fisk-a-teer? If not, you should be!

I've Been Tagged!

Paparazzi Mom

TOOT TOOT TOOT ! OMG Two in One Day!!!!!

Junkie Design Team Layout #3

Is your Marriage Fireproof?

Busy as a Beaver

Weekend Fly By

GCD Studios Giveaway!

GCD Studios & Prima...Oh My!

March Junkie Design Team Meeting

Daylight Savings Casualties

AND THE WINNER IS....

ANOTHER BLOG CANDY GIVEAWAY!!!

Jer

This Made Me Smile Today!!!

Decompression Therapy

February Junkie Design Team Layouts

More Blog Candy...Take A Look!

Junkie Canvas

AND THE WINNER OF MY FIRST GIVEAWAY IS!!!!!!!

Junkie Design Team Meeting

My First Giveaway Updated with Picture

My First Giveaway!!!**Updated with clarification**

Toot My Own Horn!! TOOT TOOT!!

I Am a Featured Artist

Delicious Webster's Pages

My First Giveaway!!!Updated with clarification